good morning. path of destruction -- at least 12 people killed in those devastating tornadoes and storms that steamrolled through the midwest and south. now a new storm system is on the horizon, and it could be even worse. al roker and lester holt are both on the scene in one of the hardest-hit cities. back on dry land, more than 1,000 people on board a disabled cruise ship finally reach port overnight. this morning we hear from two americans aboard that ship. and remembering davy jones. a beloved member of the monkees dies of a heart attack at the age of 66. mickey dolenz, his long-time friend and bandmate reflects on

the man he called the brother he never had. today, thursday, march 1st, never had. today, thursday, march 1st, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this thursday morning, i'm ann curry. that tune definitely sticks with you, doesn't it? >> sad news about davy jones. we'll be talking about that a little bit more in this half hour. right now you're looking at tornado-ravaged harrisburg, illinois on the heels of a dust-to-dawn curfew. >> it was some 200 yards wide, with winds up to 180 miles per hour when the tornado ripped through the city. it was one of 20 tornadoes from nebraska to kentucky. as we mentioned, the severe weather is being blamed for at least 12 deaths in three states. more than 100 people were

injured, so straight ahead, we'll hear from survivors and also al will have details on the second and possibly even more powerful system that is set to hit the region tomorrow. then we'll change gears and ask the question, is there a story of redemption in lindsay lohan's future. after battling personal problems in recent years, she claims she is now clean and sober and primed for a comeback. what did she learn from her time performing community service in the los angeles community morgue and what does she say to people who are not convinced she won't go down another dark path? this morning, our exclusive interview with lindsay lohan. her first exclusive sit-down in six years. and how is this for an insult? u.s. troops who put their lives on the line in places like afghanistan and iraq, being charged excessive rates just to call their families? in one case, a soldier was charged $41 just to leave a three-second voicemail. we'll have details of a "today" investigation coming up. let's begin on a thursday morning with those deadly storms and the new threat in the

pipeline. nbc's lester holt is in harrisburg, illinois. lester, good morning to you. >> matt, good morning. the six people who died in harrisburg died in this neighborhood. a few hundred feet from where we are, over 300 buildings here destroyed or damaged. overnight, the national weather service upgraded the intensity, the speed of the winds on the technical storm scale. this is almost as bad as it gets for those who survived this on the emotional scale, it's off the charts. in the hours before dawn, on wednesday, the largest of the twisters cut a deadly trail through this former coal-mining town. rated an e-4,ed second highest, the tornado brought winds reaching 180 miles per hour. the damage stretches for a mile along a 200-yard wide path. everything leveled, twisted, crushed or toppled. mickey and her husband rode out

the tornado huddled in their bathroom. the picket fence is about all that remains. you walk out of the bathroom and what did you discover? >> the house was gone. >> the house was gone? >> no roof, all gone. >> how did you survive? >> well, we were all alive. and i think that god looked after us. if you see our house, the roof and all the stuff was gone. everywhere but in the bedroom where we were. >> though this is tornado country, illinois governor pat quinn noted for years they've been spared. >> we haven't had any fatal tornadoes since 2004. and that's why today is a sad day. people who were here 24 hours ago, are in heaven today. >> the ferocious storm system started much farther to the west. near harveyville, kansas, a town of less than 300, storm chasers captured this tornado as it rolled through. houses collapsed. cars were ripped apart. others buried under piles of debris. >> i got up to go in the kitchen and get a cup of coffee and all

of a sudden, boy, the windows went out just like a big shotgun went off. and i told my wife, hit the floor and she said, i'm down there already. >> firefighters spent wednesday knocking on doors and sorting through what's left of homes. >> and you open up the door and the whole house is on the ground. >> the tornado set its sights on smithville, tennessee. in branson, missouri, a twister tore down power lines, crushed roofs and left wood and debris sprawled for miles. on wednesday, bulldozers worked to clear the debris from the twister that roared through the city's main tourism strip. leaving structure after structure scarred or in ruins. >> significant damage. bouncing from business to business to business. tens, if not hundreds of millions of property damage. >> devastating for an area whose economic lifeblood is the 11 million annual visitors who vacation there. >> we don't have insurance for

the contents or anything. >> it's going to be tough, and it's going to be tough on branson. but knowing the spirit of branson, they're going it rebuild. >> back in harrisburg, illinois, that same spirit has mickey pavalonis looking forward, too. >> my husband looked at me. he said well, i'm going to ask you this question, do you want to build it back? i said why sure, we've been here since 1972. you know, we're not going anywhere. >> and here in harrisburg, illinois, the six victims have been identified. they were all adults, four men, two women. the oldest, matt, was 74. >> lester holt in illinois, thank you very much. al is also in harrisburg with more on the deadly tornadoes. and the severe weather threat that's looming. al, you tracked this storm system yesterday morning on the air. and now there's another one in the pipeline. >> that's right. and of course, the roughest part of this, it happened so early. just about 24 hours, 25 hours ago. you're two and a half times more

likely to die in a tornado that strikes overnight than one during the day. and we've got a really bad system starting to develop just as bad, if not worse for tomorrow. here's the set-up. we're starting off with cold air back through the plains, gulf moisture coming up. and a big jet stream right on top of this, it's 110 miles per hour. as the day goes on, we're going to be looking at that moisture coming in. cold air coming behind it and reinforcing energy riding up along the jet stream. and that means we've got the risk of very strong storms. a strong risk of storms from huntsville, alabama up to indianapolis. and on into central ohio. but this area, parts of illinois, all the way down into mississippi, also a chance for strong tornadoes. these could be long track. the ones that stay on the ground for seven, eight, ten miles at a time. so we're going to be watching this. and of course, there's also been snow to talk about with this system that devastated up to

seven states. right now you're looking at lowell, massachusetts, they're getting some snow. we're looking at a big snowstorm out of this same system. so a lot going on. this system has really affected a lot of people. matt? >> all right, i'm going to take it al, thank you so much and thank you for your reporting on this story. we're going to turn to the sad and sudden death of davy jones, who rocketed to fame in the 1960s on the hit tv show, "the monkees." the 66-year-old suffered a heart attack in florida on wednesday. we're going to talk tois monkees' bandmate, mickey dolenz in just a moment. >> the monkees were known as one of america's first boy bands, outselling the beatles and the rolling stones combined in 1967. with his boyish good looks and british accent, davy jones was the group's heartthrob. they were the monkees, but he was davy jones. their lead singer and teenaged heartthrob. their songs, the soundtrack of a

generation ♪ cheer up sleepy jean >> from "daydream believer" -- to "last train to clarksville" to "i'm a believer." ♪ ♪ >> in 1967, the monkees sold more albums than the beatles and rolling stones combined. >> the monkees were absolutely the most popular band in the land. just a year after their show premiered in terms of the record sales, the concert tickets and the tv show. i'm sure that collectively that was beating every other band. >> born and raised in england, jones was a race horse jockey who turned to acting. he starred in the play, "oliver." >> are you sure it's all right to come here without an invitation. >> in 1966, he was cast in the monkees, which debuted on nbc.

>> the tv show followed the members of a fictitious band modelled after the beatles. though the quirky quartet weren't taken seriously at first, they insisted they be allowed to tour as a real band. mickey dolenz, michael nesmith with the hat, peter tork and davy in the lead. the tv show lasted just two seasons. jones left the band in 1970, and the monkees broke up in 1971. jones tried a solo career and made a series of appearances on tv. once playing himself on "the brady bunch." >> i never should have promised i would get you to sing at the prom. >> well, i don't have a date. do you know a girl who would like to go with me? >> do i! >> ladies and gentlemen, a big hand, from "the today show," mr. al roker. >> the monkees reunited for brief tours, last year they jammed with al. davy joking about how the crowds had aged along with him. >> you get things tossed at you now a little differently than before. >> well you know, i mean that's

a joke in a sense that they used to throw their little briefs and things like that and now they're throwing depends. but that's a joke. >> but still, everyone remembered those good looks and charm. davy jones, the heartthrob of a generation. >> when you look at people who were television heartthrobs though also happened to sing, davy jones is always going to be top ten. >> and jones is survived by his wife, jessica, and four daughters. and our thoughts are certainly with them today. ann? natalie, thank you. mickey dolenz is one of the rick nal members of the monkees and a long-time friend of davy jones. good morning, mickey. it's an emotional morning. pretty tough day. >> yes. it came as a big shocker. right out of the blue. you know, he was the last one that i thought would you know -- he's the youngest one of us. and i suspect a little bit it might have been genetics, you know i think both of his parents passed pretty early on.

>> his mother died when he was very young. people don't realize he quit school, he dropped out of school when that happened. >> his father passed away also, i believe with a heart attack. when he wasn't very old, either. >> and yet, he always seemed on camera, mickey, as this cup half-full guy. is that what he was like, in your life? >> yeah, he was always the go-to guy for fun and for a laugh. and he -- he never took himself or any of us, we never took ourselves very seriously, you couldn't, you know. and he was, you know, a jokester. and always was. and we hung out a lot together. we, i remember him very clearly, because we had similar back grounds. even in the early auditions, the auditions went on for a long, long time. even in the early auditions, we kind of connected because i had been in show business as a kid,

doing a series called "circus boy." and he had been on stage doing "oliver." so we had that kind of connection in common. so immediately we just kind of hit it off and stayed very good friends. and our families got together and we started and had kids about the same time. and so, he and i used to hang out an awful lot. >> you mention that you both had performed before. i think a lot of people don't realize, he actually was nominated for a tony. for his work on broadway. >> in "oliver" yeah. >> that's right. and -- >> and was on the ed sullivan show. >> on his website, he once recalled these auditions you once talked about. he said when the four of you put together someone said -- that's it, it's magic. what was the magic that the four of you had. how would you describe this relationship? >> if i could describe it i would do it again. you know, it was a serendipitous sort of thing, catching

lightning in a bottle. there's no formula. but you get lucky and certain people get together and that chemistry happens. and it's like a little bit of magic. and it certainly happened with us. it's a little bit to the producers identifying and recognizing the talent. in the case of the monkees, it was a show about this imaginary group. and it was a sitcom, essentially, about this out of work group. so they were looking for four different character types, much like the marx brothers and we screened marx brothers movies when we were working on the show. because they wanted there to be a big difference in the comedy. and there certainly was. we didn't step on each other's toes come ddy-wise. >> it was fun to watch the four of you. so now, on this morning, how will you best remember, what will you remember most about davy jones? >> i keep going back to just watching him play soccer. kicking around a soccer ball on,

we used to have a private plane on tour. and we would land at an airport, and private airport where we were going to go play a gig. or getting back on the plane. and for some reason, the images come back to me of him and a bunch of other guys, running around the grass, around the plane, kicking a soccer ball. that's one of them that comes to mind. or hanging out, swimming in the pool or something like that, you know. >> basically, moments of fun and relaxation. >> because ultimately we all became pretty good friends, and he and i probably the best of friends. >> well, you are a very good friend on the morning of having lost such a good friend. to stand up for him this morning on national television. mickey dolenz. >> he was a great guy, i loved the man, a great father. great kids, it's sad. >> thank you. now we're going to get a check of the morning's other top stories, and natalie has made her way back to the news desk.

>> good morning, everyone. the crippled cruiseliner, "costa allegra" lass arrived at the seychelles. nbc's duncan is in london with the latest. >> good morning, natalie. passengers on the "costa allegra" have been promised the cruiseliner that was shimmering and modern. instead, they had to sleep out on deck and wash with bottled water. no wonder they're relieved to be getting off. the "costa allegra" finally arrived in the seychelles. passengers looking tired after three days stranded in the indian ocean. with no power, the luxury cruiseliner hasn't been so luxurious. >> not having enough food, not being able to rest well at night. we had -- the heat is unbearable. we had to spend most of our nights on the top deck of the ship. >> it's very hot, humid, no lights.

that was rather difficult for a lot of people. >> the allegra lost power on monday after a fire in the generator room. since then, it's been towed slowly through pirate-infested waters. a nerve-wracking journey for passengers, and another public relations disaster for costa's parent company, carnival. the "concordia" is still lying capsized off italy after a crash which killed 25 people. and two carnival cruises have been hit with norovirus outbreaks. no wonder the allegra's passengers are relieved to be on dry land. many will now be flown straight to italy. others are staying on the seychelles, taking a vacation, trying to recover from the last one. so, the italian coast guard and government inspectors are on their way to the seychelles, for a second time. they are investigating what went wrong on a costa cruise. >> thank you. two american service members have been killed this morning in

southern afghanistan. u.s. defense officials say. nato says a man in an afghan army uniform and another in civilian clothes opened fire on troops, killing the two american soldiers. meantime, in northern iraq, an american teacher was killed this morning in an apparent murder-suicide, by an 18-year-old iraqi student. this morning, students returned to the ohio high school that was the site of a deadly shooting earlier this week. an official there reveals that the teenaged suspect in the rampage told authorities that he stole the gun he used from his uncle. the weapon was purchased legally in 2010, before it was allegedly used in the shooting by tj lane in the shooting that killed three students and wounded two others. now let's head to the new york stock exchange. bad news for the housing market. it seems that foreclosures are accounting for the smallest percentage in overall says in three years for 2011.

federal reserve chairman, ben bernanke back on capitol hill for a second day of testimony about what else, the state of the economy. retailers and automakers reporting monthly sales numbers and stocks begin the month with some positive momentum from february. s&p 500 posting its best february since 1998. natalie, back to you. >> good news, courtney reagan at the new york stock exchange, thank you. and no one messes with these boys on the playground. take a look. this is 7-year-old guila and his 5-year-old brother. they live in romania. and their dad has apparently had them on a workout regimen since they were two years old. guliano holds the world record for 90-degree pushups. >> look how adorable these kids are, they're big stars already. let's turn it back over to matt and ann. >> was he getting oiled up there? >> that's the father, yeah, yeah. >> big stars, i wonder how hard

they're being pushed 20 get to be that strong at that age? >> two hours a day, working out. >> they look happy. >> mixed emotions about that one, natalie. let's go to al once again, out in harrisburg, illinois. and al, we're going to do the weather here. but also i know you got to spend some time with davy jones and just your thoughts. >> well you know, the great thing is he had such a great sense of humor. he really enjoyed life. you know, he was really, what i could see, the prankster. he was the guy who was kind of instigating the fun during our shoot. he just -- he had a really good sense of humor, a good sense of timing and he really seemed, they all got together, they all enjoyed each other. they were on stage, they were having a great time. they were supposed to perform for about an hour and a half. they went for two and a half hours, nonstop. and he was in really terrific shape. he swam in the ocean. he was an avid horseman. it's really came as a real

shock, to i know a lot of people. we were all stunned when we heard the news. he will be missed. and as i tweeted on the air, a little bit of my childhood died when i heard about davy jones passing. he will be missed. our thoughts and p to his family. a look now, lowell, massachusetts. almost a picture post card as you see the snow and the -- lake there. but we have got -- some more snow to deal with. and if you are driving in that, it is not cute picture perfect. you can see the storm system moves offshore and it is still snowing throughout parts of new england. back to the west, we have rain. and we are looking at generally another lee to six inches of snow. portland, bangor, they will see anywhere from 6 to 12 inches before it is all over. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning, sun is up and clear sky. we do have some patchy, dense fog lingering in the wake of our overnight heavy downpours.

waters receding. some roadways still wet and chilly morning. we are near 50 degrees. nearby suburbs. fog should be dissipating by mid morning. then breezy and mild this afternoon with lots of sun into the 60s. and then overnight tonight, clear and getting cold by dawn tomorrow. mid 30s. increasing clouds friday highs near 60. friday evening rain and maybe and that's your latest weather. ann? >> just ahead, has lindsay lohan learned her lesson? matt has an exclusive interview with her. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

just ahead, "today" investigates the excessive rates u.s. service members are being charged to call home as they head to and from war zones. and an exclusive interview with a nurse who is say they were assaulted by robert kennedy's son, douglas, as he tried to leave the hospital with his newborn baby. after your local news.

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♪ i like sweet things. [ man ] shut up, henry. ♪ 7:26 is your time now on this thursday, march 1, 2012. spring is coming in like a lamb. tom is here to tell what you you can expect today. good morning. >> yeah. first day of meteorological spring. march 1 starting off with some patchy dense fog. later today into the 60s. lots of sun. increasing winds this afternoon. gusting to around 30 miles an hour. that will settle down tonight under a clear sky. cold start friday morning. into the 30s. afternoon highs near 60 with increasing clouds. some light rain friday night but a likelihood on saturday. >> all right, tom. thank you. before you leave for work we will take a look at the trouble pots on the roads.

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good morning. bumper to bumper if you are taking i-95 northbound.

prior to prince william parkway, these delays continue to the beltway, travel about 29 miles per hour. really slow. as you connect on to 395. no accidents but delays continue. >> thanks, danella.

7:30 now on a thursday morning, first day of march, 2012. just three more weeks until the official arrival of spring. they say march comes in like a lion, out like a lamb, we've got a little rain in the new york area today, but it's not too bad outside. we thank these folks for stopping by. inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer alongside ann curry. and just ahead, are our troops being ripped off? >> an army sergeant heading to iraq said he was charged $41 to leave a three-second voicemail to his wife and children, a call made from a secure military area from an airport in germany. "today" investigates coming up.

and the latest on an altercation between nurses and robert kennedy's son, douglas. they claim that he assaulted them as he tried to take his newborn baby out of a new york hospital without proper authorization. this morning, we'll hear from those nurses for the first time since that incident in an exclusive interview. >> and on a much lighter note, three generations of royalty, the queen, camilla and kate middleton hit the town together. we're going to be live at buckingham palace to get all the details. we begin this half hour with our exclusive interview with lindsay lohan. she grew up right in front of our eyes, a talented actress with a very promising career. but in recent years, it's been her numerous rehab stints and run-ins with the law that have kept her name in the headlines. well now lindsay says she is clean and sober and ready to make a comeback starting with a hosting gig on "saturday night live." >> i was looking to see when the last time we sat down was -- 2006. you were 19 years old. you were here to promote a couple of movies.

when you think back to that time, lindsay, what goes through your mind? >> i was, i was kind of nonstop working back then. it was really fun, it was a whilwind. i've been very quiet since then, haven't i? >> i haven't heard a thing. >> what have you been up to? you're a little older, i don't want to say you're old, because you're only 25 years old. although a lot has happened. i would imagine you're wiser as well. >> very much so. >> how are you wiser? >> i think it's just you know, the process of learning and going through certain experiences. and i've certainly seen a lot. and i've grown. i've just kind of, i've learned how to live my life in a way that i'm happy. and i can do the things that i want to do. >> is this recent, this ability to kind of embrace life in that way? >> yeah. i think it's this last kind of like whirlwind of experiences i've gone through this last year and a half.

i've kind of just taken a step back and said, i'm not doing what i love to do. and i need to find a way to kind of find that balance again. >> when you say you weren't doing what you loved to do, do you feel a little bit like you cheated yourself out of that? >> yeah, to some extent. yeah, definitely. i think i like being on set. i like making films. i like doing this kind of stuff and having positive things to talk about. and i kind of lost sight of that. >> there was a time when we talked last time where i think you didn't want to talk about a lot of things. because i think -- and correct me if i'm wrong -- there was a little denial going on. >> definitely. and i think it's also, it's a scary thing to have to kind of express to people. i don't think i was -- i wasn't as comfortable with myself then. and, yeah, definitely. it was a fear factor that i had about what was really going on. and you know, i had to get that wakeup call. >> i talked to so many people over the years who have gone through similar situations. no situation is identical to

what you've been through. and almost all of them, lindsay, told me at one point they had to make major changes in their life to get to this better place. what are some of the changes you've made? >> i think some of the main things are just the people i surround myself with. >> tell me about that. >> i think that it gets very lonely in this industry, because you're constantly with people and then you're alone. so it's kind of i just allowed a lot of people to be around me at all times. and i don't think they were necessarily there for the right reasons. and i wasn't concerned with that. i think i was being a bit ignorant towards the fact that maybe i should not go out all the time. maybe i should rest. maybe i should start to grow up and take care of myself. >> who do you trust now? you have to have somebody in your life that you can lean on, that you can confide in, that you can trust. who do you trust? >> i trust my family, my mom, my sister and my brothers. i trust, i have a really great group of people that i work with

now. and i think that's also been taken a while to kind of get together. >> it seems a little strange to say this to you, but at 25, people are talking who are hearing now that for example, you're going to be hosting "saturday night live" this week. and i see you smile. that this is some kind of a comeback. a comeback at 25. how do you view it? >> crazy. i would rather it be now and not have to go through it later. >> do you view it that way, though? >> yeah. i mean -- it would be, it's not that i don't -- i regret the choices that i've made. but i'm grateful for where i am today. because of them. because i've seen, i don't need to see any more negative stuff. i don't need to put myself in those places any more. >> do you think the producers and directors of movies and television projects are going to get back to the part where they can go -- you know what? yeah, we can count on lindsay, we can bank on her. >> i think that takes time. and i think that it's actions.

people can say things all they want. but i still need to go flew the process of proving myself, with "snl," being on time. keeping my -- i can't say the word, but stuff together. >> they will bleep it, don't worry about it. >> but i'm really lucky, because lorne michaels has been supportive of me. so i actually went, i asked him to let me do the show and he believed in me. it's just a process and i'm willing to go through the process and prove i can be accountable. >> we'll have more with lindsay in our next half hour. as she talks about her community service, her stint at the morgue, for example. and what she says to those who don't believe she can get her life back on track. and a reminder -- lindsay will be hosting "saturday night live" this weekend, 11:30, 10:30 central here on nbc. and now a check of the weather from al in harrisburg, illinois. al?

today's weather is brought to you by the so slimming jean from chico's. >> and good morning from harrisburg, illinois, this is where six people died in an ef-4 tornado, with 180-mile-per-hour winds, you can see the devastation all around. this area is called gaskens city, this is where the six people died, just about 26 hours ago in this hard-hit community. and as we look and show you what's going on for today, temperaturewise, we expect those temperatures to stay in the 20s and 30s and teens up into new england. really, a lot of warm weather from texas on into the mid mississippi river valmississipp. and the southeast. and that's going to be part of the setup for the severe weather that's coming tomorrow. 20s back through the plains. slight risk late in the afternoon. and through the mid mississippi river valley. lot of wet weather along the coast of california and on into the pacific northwest coast. snow leftover in new england today.

another three to six inches possible throughout that part of the country. that's what's going on around the u.s. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. good morning, tom kierein in storm center 4. right now around the region, patchy fog and some chilly temperatures. around washington. right around 50 degrees now. 54 at reagan nationalful milder to the south. west and north, upper 30s to near 40 degrees. and the patchy, dense fog should be gone in another hour or two. lot of sunshine through the rest of the day. winds picking up this afternoon. gusting to 30 miles an hour out of the west-northwest. highs reach the upper 60s and then near 60 tomorrow with increasing clouds and looks like rain moving in and that's your weather. matt? >> al, thanks very much. up next, "today" investigates why some american service members are crying foul over what they say are excessive phone bills. and a little later on, we'll check out some oscar-inspired styles for women of all ages. [ laughs ] what's wrong with him?

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♪ ♪ the best part of wakin' up ♪ is folgers in your cup back now at 7:42. and this morning on "today" investigates, are u.s. troops being ripped off? soldiers complain they're being gouged on phone calls to their families as they head to and from combat zones. nbc's senior investigative correspondent, lisa meijeyers j us with details. >> for years, virtually every service member heading to tour from afghanistan have stopped in a military airport. in the secure area where the troops hang out are pay phones, which many use to call home. now one soldier is leading the fight against what he claims has been a systemic effort to rip off troops when they are most

vulnerable. >> when the pressure is on, and the time is ticking, you're like oh man. >> this army sergeant was headed to iraq when their plane landed at this airport in germany to refuel. it was his third tour in iraq and his family was especially worried. >> both of my kids, man, they were in tears, my wife was in tears when i left. it's a very emotional time for everybody. >> so he decided to call home, using these pay phones inside a secure military area of the airport and paying with his debit card. >> we're going to a combat zone and people get hurt there i just wanted to know that everything was going to be fine and i was going to come home. >> he left a quick message, which his wife, dharma played for us. >> hey, honey, it's just me, i'm trying to call you, i love you. >> and how much was he charged for that? >> $41 for that three-second voicemail. >> $41, you were surprised? >> extremely surprised. i couldn't believe it. >> at fort hood, texas last

week, other soldiers told us they were shocked by the outrageous charges from the very same phones. one soldier paid $176 for two calls he said were less than five minutes each. how do you feel about that? >> a little ticked off. it's pretty ridiculous. >> now sergeant quarter is suing the company he claims is responsible for systemically gouging thousands of troops. the company, bbg communications, is headquartered in this gleaming glass office building in san diego. with its own sculpture garden. the ceo lives nearby in this $4.6 million hilltop mansion. >> our service members have had millions of dollars taken outs of their pocketses to enrich the coffers of bbg. >> internet blogs and emails reveal complaints about bbg back to 2008. from privates to lieutenant colonels. robbed by bbg.

half our unit used this stupid phone. sick to my stomach thinking about how much money this company has taken from all those marines. the better business bureau monitors how companies treat the military. >> how many complaints have you received about bbg? >> we've received 453 complaints over the last three years. >> is that a lot? >> that is a lot. >> the watchdog group gives bbg communications an f rating. >> that someone would be looking to make a buck on, on the fact that they're coming and going from a war zone, i find that disgusting. >> bbg's lawyer told nbc news that the company only handles billing and collections on these calls. but a sister company, bbg global based in this small office in switzerland, provides the actual long distance services. bbg global says allegations that u.s. service members are being overcharged are untrue and offensive. that the phones are controlled

by a german firm, which charges the same rate on all credit card calls, from its pay phones throughout germany. and that customers can get the price by pressing 3. >> bbg insists that members of the military are not being singled out. that in fact, making these kind of calls is just very expensive. >> there's no way that anybody could sit here and convince me of that. maybe you know, long distance calls are expensive. but they're not that expensive. if i can talk to my wife and family from a combat zone for $25 for ten hours, there's no reason why they can't do that in europe. >> and why are phones only used by the military programmed not to accept prepaid calling cards, that many soldiers carry. forcing them to use credit cards? and why aren't the rates posted? bbg says it complies with german law. >> it's terrible that they would do that to us. i mean we volunteered to serve our country. we fight for their freedom. and they're going to scam us,

take our money, rip us off? >> now, we asked the largest phone company in germany, what it charges for similar operated assisted calls to the states. they said, quarter's call would have cost about $10. a fraction of the $41 he was charged. ann? >> important point this morning. lisa myers, thank you. coming up, an exclusive interview with the nurses who say they were assaulted by robert kennedy's son, douglas. their first discussion about this, since the incident, coming up right after this. what's this? [ male announcer ] quaker oatmeal squares

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tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. my inspiration for quitting were my sons. they were my little cheering squad. [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. we're back now at 7:50, with a hospitalitier indication that's landed a member of the kennedy family in trouble with the law. jonathan deets, the chief investigative reporter for wnbc in new york has more. >> douglas kennedy, the son of robert kennedy, faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child and harassment, following his attempt to leave a hospital

maternity ward in january with his three-day-old son. the two nurses involved in the incident spoke with us exclusively, claiming they were physically attacked for doing their job. >> to be assaulted because you're protecting the best interests of a baby? that's not okay. >> anna lane, a supervising nurse in the maternity word of northern westchester hospital is still upset over her run-in with douglas kennedy. lane and her colleague say they became concerned when they kau kennedy carrying his three-day-old son attempting to take the baby out of a hospital without proper authorization. >> we were requested to call a code pink, which is an infant abduction. >> security cameras show kennedy trying to board an elevator. >> we kept saying to him, we need to step out of the elevator. we need to get the baby back to your room. back in the bassinet and safe. >> what is he saying or what is he doing? >> i don't have to listen to you. that's my child, i'm going out for fresh air.

>> the security footage then shows kennedy headed for the stairwell, and that's when the nurses say things turned ugly. >> standing at the door and he grabs my wrist and turns my hand. and i still have pain in my arm. >> once inside the stairwell, nurse luciano says she was attacked by kennedy. >> i wanted it make sure the baby was safe and secure. and he brought his leg up and kicked me and i went flying through the air. >> out of camera range, they say kennedy fell to the ground, his newborn still in his arms. >> i'm petrified that the baby is going to go flying down the stairs. >> the baby was uninjured, according to the nurses, kennedy got up and went down the stairs where he was stopped by security. kennedy is a reporter at fox news. >> it's about incumbents. >> and is the tenth of 11 children born to robert and ethel kennedy. the father of five was charged last week with endangering the

welfare of a child and harassment. he's entered a plea of not guilty. kennedy and his wife, who claim their newborn son slept through the entire incident blame the two nurses, saying it's sickening to think our simple desire to take our son outside for fresh air has been warped into a charge of child endangerment. a representative for kennedy says the couple received permission from other hospital personnel to leave the floor with the newborn. >> i was doing my job. and this is traumatic. >> the hospital has issued a statement saying it stands by the actions of the nursing staff. but on wednesday, kennedy's wife went to a hospital ombudsman to file a formal complaint. this is as the nurses are planning to file a lawsuit against mr. kennedy. >> the next step in terms of any criminal proceedings would be? >> he's due in court in april. in the meantime, his lawyers are going to the prosecutors to try to get the case dropped. saying it's a he said she said

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7:56 is your time. i'm eun yang. springlike day ahead. news4's meteorologist tom kierein is in the storm center with the latest. >> patchy fog around. dissipating. lots of shine now. temperatures are still on the cool side. we are in the upper 40s to low 50s right around the beltway. in washington 58 now at reagan national. southern maryland near 60 degrees. later today into the 60s. still high water along the creek. just to tease of martinsburg. watch out for that. couple of the roads closed will because of the high water there. then tonight, we will be clear and winds will settle down and down to the 30s tomorrow morning and rain likely moving in late friday night and during the day saturday. maybe some thunder and lightning. chillyi sunday. >> tom, thank you.

good morning. slow around the beltway. outer loop in montgomery county, it is a very slow trip for you past new hampshire avenue. your travel speed is 25 miles an hour taking 22 minutes to get to i-270. also the inner loop robinson terminal in virginia, these delays continue. >> another

8:00 now on a thursday morning, the first day of march, 2012. we have a really enthusiastic crowd this morning out here on the plaza. despite the damp weather, i'm ann curry along with matt lauer. and al by the way is in harrisburg, illinois, where he's been reporting about this tornado that flattened an entire block of homes on wednesday. so we'll be checking in with him in a few moments. also we'll have a little more of our conversation with lindsay lohan. what's community service been like for her. we know she spent some time working at the morgue out in los angeles. and also she's going to be hosting "saturday night live"

this weekend. can you imagine what's going on in the writers room this week? can you imagine the sketches they're dreaming up that are probably going to be poking fun at her troubles? she'll talk about that as well. and then it's going to be a real challenge for her to be game about that. maybe, maybe not. >> i think it's a good thing. a lot of us were eyeing some of the beautiful dresses that were being walked down the red carpet this past oscars. and so we've got an expert in the house though ril help us take some of these looks and sort of make them our own. actually maybe not replicate them exactly, but be inspired by them. and we'll talk about that and also zac efron will be here talking about his new movie that he's in. let's go inside, natalie is standing by with the headlines. >> good morning, everyone. we begin with new violence against americans overseas this morning. two american service members have been killed in southern afghanistan. u.s. defense officials say, and

in northern iraq, an american teacher was killed this morning in an apparent murder-suicide by an 18-year-old iraqi student. the recovery is just beginning today, in seven states ravaged by powerful storms and deadly tornadoes. at least 12 people lost their lives in illinois, missouri and tennessee. the hardest hit area was harrisburg, illinois, as you heard, where a tornado with winds reaching 18 0 miles per hour touched down just before dawn on wednesday. and more violent weather is forecast for tomorrow. al will have that forecast coming up in a little bit. the leading ladies of britain's royal family enjoyed a high-profile field trip today. nbc is at buckingham palace with more on the queen's tea party. good morning. >> good morning, natalie. it's a big day out for three ladies of the royal household. it's the first time the queen, kate and camilla have carried out an official engagement together. they're going to be attending a tea party and also promoting the queen's roses.

[ applause ] >> an up market luxury grocery store, the venue of choice for a royal first. three generations of royals doing for british produce, what kate has done for british fashion. her majesty wanted a day out with her sons and grandsons' wives. >> the queen couldn't have been happier, frankly at buckingham palace last year for the royal wedding. seeing william happily marrying kate, a girl she likes, she respects, she sees kate as a very good influence on william. a great thing for the royal family. >> a unique bit of bonding time for the queen and her two duchesses. how different from princess diana's day, when diana thought camilla a rottweiller. as for camilla and the monarch, they're on better terms, too. past tensions pushed aid aside and kate seems to be a bonding force. even with diana's ring on her finger. with william away on service and kate tirelessly working solo

royal circuit. she's carving a fine role for herself. with the more experienced women there to guide her through it. the queen never had an outing with diana, so this is really significant. it's the monarch's way of bringing kate in close and making her feel at home. back to you, natalie. >> nice to see them all together. thank you. and now for a look at what is trending today, our quick round-up of what has you talking online. a story we brought you earlier, the death of monkees' lead singer, davy jones, is a top search on google. fans are turning to the criterion collection on youtube for this video of jones' audition for the 1960s tv show that made him a teen heartthrob. >> in boots i'm 5'3", i don't have trouble adjusting, i kind of like tall girls, yeah, it's kind of groovy. >> i asked you whether or not they liked you.

do you make a folk sound or a rock sound, anything like that? >> i make a terrible sound. >> you see why he got the part. davy jones was 66 and had just performed in a monkees reunion tour 18 months ago. outrage is growing online over the ad campaign over the hit service, "madman." families of 9/11 victims say they conjure painful memories of the falling man, an iconic image of a man who hurled himself from the world trade center during the 9/11 attacks. the network is defending the ads, saying it's been used since 2007 to represent a man whose life is in turmoil. don't call it a sure thing just yet. despite weeks of denial, twitter and pags fook will not be pacified over rumors that the "jersey shore" star is pregnant. pictures have surfaced showing snooki wearing a baggy shirt. leading some to guess she's hiding a baby bump.

now let's turn back to al with a check of your weather in harrisburg, illinois. again, this devastation is pretty evident throughout this area. let's go a little to the east of here, in ridgeway, illinois. and take a look at the devastation. this is st. joseph's catholic church. and the entrance is there, but just about everything else is gone. for that congregation, this has to be a heartbreaking sight. that ef-4 tornado killing six people here in harrisburg, illinois. so again, a lot of devastation. let's show you what's going let's show you what is going on for today. right now what we are looking at basic sly a big storm system coming into the pacific northwest. and we have a setup for another severe weather situation here tomorrow in this area. and here is what happens. lot of gulf moisture coming up out of the south, very strong jet stream riding over it. colder air coming in from the north and west. and between the two areas, you

are going to be looking at quite a bit violent weather getting together. we have a strong risk of storms. stretching all the way from huntsville, alabama, up into indianapolis. and a slight risk including this area so, again, the damage could be devastating. good news is the rough weather won't occur until later in the afternoon. unlike here when it occurred in the middle of the night. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> we are out of that risk zone for tomorrow. as we get going today, though, we have temperatures now here at just past 8:00 in the mid and upper 50s around washington. and well on its way into the 60s to near 70 degrees by later this afternoon, fog we had around this morning continuing to dissipate. and gusty winds this afternoon, too, to 30 miles an hour. clear and chilly tonight. winds diminish. then some rain, light rain, friday evening and then showers and the clean-up begins here, as people get ready to

start picking up, cleaning up all throughout this region, where a tornado with 180-mile-per-hour winds devastated this part of harrisburg, illinois. ann, back to you. >> all right, ashlgs thank you so much for your reporting from there. coming up, we've got more of matt's interview with lindsay lohan. she talks about her stint in community service and her guest hosting "snl" on saturday. sounds like a mini-wheats day to me! and becka's science fair is on the 8th. she's presenting the solar system. hey i've got just the whole grain fiber to help keep her full so she can stay focused. um...you rock. she'll be ready to rock. right here! [ female announcer ] make your kids big days, mini-wheats days. packed with fiber and nearly a day's worth of whole grains kellogg's frosted mini-wheats cereal helps keep your kids full and focused. now available in cinnamon roll flavor. keeps 'em full... keeps 'em focused.

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back now at 8:11, with more of our exclusive interview with lindsay lohan. at just 25 years old, she's attempting a comeback. she says she's rid herself of people who were bad influences, is ready to take on the hosting role on "saturday night live," we wanted to know if anything will be off-limits on the show. >> you know, i'm trying to put myself in the writers room right now at "saturday night live," all right? >> okay. >> and they're going to have some fun or going to want to have some fun with the things you've been through. >> i've already pitched that to them. >> is anything off-limits? i mean have you said to them, look, i want positive in my life right now and i'd rather not do a sketch about x or y? >> i think if i'm going to do you know, a sketch about x or y, this is the place to do it. i think "snl" is where you actually are okay to do that. and i spoke with my attorney, and asked her, i didn't want to

be disrespectful to you, and she's been really wonderful to me and helped me a lot. so i've asked if certain things would be you know, inappropriate or off-limits, because i wanted to be in the clear. >> what kind of feedback have you gotten on the legal side? >> it's some of the things were acceptable. so we'll see if we can get them together and write them the right way. i want to poke fun at myself. >> we were arranging a phone call at one point over the last couple of weeks and i was told you were in community service. and i even think i was told you were at the morgue. >> yes. >> community service is given to someone like you for a reason. what have you learned from it? >> it's actually amazing how in these situations, how much, how you can go to this place, the two women that i work with there have been so wonderful to me. and i've learned so much just from them and it's just, they're just genuinely nice, good people and everyone there has been really just kind to me.

and it's been, it's been a learning experience and i'm glad that i experienced it. i'm grateful that you know, i've learned from it. it's helped me. >> i'm sitting -- >> it's humbling. >> i'm sitting across from you and i'm looking, and i'm thinking, you are as confident and together as i've seen you in a long time. >> thank you. >> and i'm wondering if there are people out there thinking -- this can't last. you know, this is -- this is just lindsay today. because she's saying what she wants to say and we're going to see the old lindsay soon. how do you feel when you know there are doubters out there like that? >> it's unfortunate. but if i harped on that and only focused on the negative and people that doubted me, i might be right back where they wanted me. but that's not for me and i'm not going, i don't want to go back to that place. i want to move forward with my life and i want to continue to move forward. and in the right direction. and i don't, i want to keep growing and i want to keep

growing in the right ways. >> it seems like in this country, people love to make stars. and then in some ways they like to sit back with fascination as stars crash to earth. >> right. >> but i think americans also like a story about redemption. do you feel that there's a story of redemption in your future? >> i personally believe that there is, yes. >> how will that look, if we sit down, you know, you haven't been here in six years. if it's another six, let's hope it's five years, yes. >> maybe sooner. >> but let's say we sit down at 30, five years from now. what will we be talking about? what's going to be going on in your life? >> hopefully i'll have just come from the oscars this past weekend. >> you see that kind of movie role? do you see getting full steam back into acting? >> yeah, completely. i just want to kind of -- just work like, i want to be able to work to the point where i can just like go on a vacation with my family. or i can -- and then have the

premieres and be happy for that and i love that feeling. and being able to share what i love to do with people that see the film. i want that. >> you miss that? >> completely. >> there's rumors or stories going around that your next project is going to be playing elizabeth taylor? >> yes. >> tell me about it. >> i'm going to be playing you know, a part of her film, in "cleopatra" the producer is larry thompson, and we're casting and figuring, we start production soon. so i've been doing tons of research. but i've always kind of researched her. she's always been a fascinating woman to me. so i'm really honored. and i will not let anyone down, especially my is. >> it's funny that you felt the need to say that. i will not let anyone down. >> it's because people -- you know, i could see where it could be scary for people to invest in me. and i don't want people to have that reason to be scared any more.

so -- being able to have this opportunity with "snl" and the film, i'm going to do what i'm supposed to do and enjoy it and do it as best i can. >> you said you've had to change the people you hang out with. which leads to the simple question. is there someone in your life these days? romantically? >> no, i don't want that. >> why not? >> not right now. i want to focus on me and i want to focus on work. that's another thing that actually in the past, i didn't do. i think i was more involved in my relationships, if i was in one, than myself. and it became very co-dependant in a bad way. and i lost track of again, like looking at myself in the mirror. because i was always focused on, i was distracting myself. and i'm -- i've learned to love myself and i think that's really important and i've learned to take the time that i need to do what i need to do, that's going to make me happy. and if something came along and you never know, i really want to focus on my work right now.

i really do. and that's the first time ever in my life i've said that. that's a big deal for me. it is, to not feel the need to kind of having someone else around. to keep me company. and -- i'm okay with that right now. >> you sound good and you look good and i appreciate your time today. >> thank you so much. >> don't wait five or six years. >> i won't, i promise. >> thank you. >> appreciate it. and to see more of our interview and to compare it to what lindsay said in our sit-down back in 2006, head to our website, today.com. up next, how to make the hottest looks from the red carpet at the oscars work for you at any age. plays]♪ ♪[music plays]

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you're talking about reinterpreting these dresses. what's your idea here? >> i'm using the women on the red carpet at the oscars, as an inspiration of how you would dress for a black-tie event or a wedding, that type of thing. it's not an exact replica, but i'm using them to inspire my choices that i made for you today. >> one of the inspirational looks this oscar season was the dress worn by emma stone. it was a red fabiana dress. let's take a look at your reinterpretation with our model, who is anna this morning and tell us what elements you kept of this dress. can you come out now? look at that. >> doesn't she look great? >> you changed the neckline, you got rid of that big bow. >> emma was wearing this amazing giannabatista dress, with this big bow. i took inspiration from her and i brought in the bow, but i think the neckline is little bit more flattering on the average woman.

and i actually went, i just went to a trim store. i bought a yard of fabric. i matched the color and i actually made that bow myself. so that doesn't come with the dress. that's something that you can do on your own. and then you can wear your dress both ways. you can wear it with the bow or without the bow. >> that's smart. thank you so much. another gown you loved was the one that michelle williams woreth and it's also a bold color and our model this morning wearing your reinterpretation of this dress is marissa. and let's see what you've done with this dress. oh, look, you've put the bling on her neck, not on our waist and on her wrist as well. >> the amazing thing that michelle does is she chooses things that are very personal. so i took that, as inspiration and i used this amazing bold color that she chose. you know, she had a peplum which is hard to wear. so i found a dress that didn't have a peplum. but again i made that necklace, so i went to a trim store for

$10 i just bought half a yard of trim and i just fastened it and i think it looks all right. >> thank you so much, marissa. >> we have the strong statement that was made by gwynneth paltrow with this tom ford white dress and this morning we have chantal wearing your reinterpretation of that. it really is stunning. where did you get this dress? >> i found it at bebe, it's really affordable. it fits her incredibly well. i think you know, the most important thing when trying to pull off this look is your undergarment. it's hard to wear a white gown. so she is wearing you know, something that's giving her a little bit of support underneath. >> i think we should probably let it go there, and say chantal for that. and finally, let's see voila davis' green dress. our model this morning is celine. and she's also, oh, look at that. the color is so strong. >> yes, i thought voila looked amazing. the color was so bold.

i took the color, i think it's really age-appropriate. i went to the fabric store and made this shawl and i think she looks great. >> that's the bottom line. can you go to the trim store and good morning. i'm joe krebs. 8:26 on this thursday, first of march. let's go straight to storm 4 meteorologist tom kierein for a look at our forecast. >> we have the sun. a live view from the city camera. we have the bright sun and a blue sky. lot of the fog is gone. temperatures now are climbing into the 60s across parts of virginia and culpeper up to 63. mid and upper 50s around washington. and later today, into the 60s, to near 70 degrees this afternoon, but we will have a bit after breeze picking up, too. 30 miles per hour later this afternoon and settle down tonight and chilly start to friday morning and increasing clouds tomorrow. could get rain friday night and storms on saturday.

joe? >> tom, thanks very much. a br

still seeing big delays in our area.

jammed at shady grove. delays continue to the spur. no accidents, just delays. very slow at robinson terminal. delays continue as you head to the dulles toll road. 24 miles per hour. >> thanks very much. more news and weat

we're back, 8:30, on a thursday morning, the first day of march, 2012. so the rain in the air, some breezy conditions as well. but obviously we have nothing to complain about. compared with some of the weather they've been experiencing in the plains states and the midwest. we'll talk more about that in just a second. i'm matt lauer, along with ann curry and natalie morales.

and al will be checking in from ill nil just a little while. he's been out in harrisburg all morning, a town that got devastated by one of the tornadoes. on a lighter note this morning, we're going to switch gears and talk to zac efron, in a new movie called "the lorax" and there is zac actually signing autographs this morning, he's such a supremely talented young man. it will be nice to catch up with him. think you don't have the time or energy to cook a wholesome good family dinner? think again, our chef curtis stone and a new dad himself is here, he'll show you how to make it all. it's easy, one pot. makes for easy clean-up as well. before we get do that, can we please say good morning to jason isaac who is joining us here. you probably know him from the "harry potter" movies. >> i'm cold. >> you don't need a coat. >> i only have a t-shirt.

>> let's talk about the role you play in "awake." you're in a car crash and you wake up from the crash living two different and separate realities. >> what happens is i can't tell which one is the dream or not. i wake up and my wife has survived and my son died. and when i go to sleep, i go to the other world where my son has survived and my wife is dead. >> as a challenge, as an actor, it must be so interesting. you're switching, in some ways, you are switching realities. and do you ever mix them up? >> well we all do it you wake up from a dream and it carries over what you've been dreaming about. i judge my wife but how she's behaved in my dreams, it's really not her fault at all. this man can't tell which one is real, both dreams are equally real. but it helps him solve crimes. >> and to keep it straight, you actually wear different colored bands on your wrist, is that right? >> i have to know.

if with me, the audience finds out where i am and it's a show for people with a brain and a heart. it's not a normal cop show. there's a lot of emotion in it but it's not a family soap because there's crime-solving in it we think it's got something for everyone. >> i think people can tell from your accent, you're from new jersey. >> it's so cold there. >> where are your band-aids? >> we all moved to california for the show. >> how do you like it? >> i like it. we don't dress like this. my kids are out riding a bike every day and we jump into the ocean. >> you are supremely talented. >> our show is written most byly howard gordon who wrote "24" and "the x files." and "friday night lights" a show that i love, he told me he would give me $100 if i mention his

name. >> and can you buy a coat. >> and in the end as an actor you've got to follow a great story. this is great what-if story. >> people can watch you in "awake" tonight, its premiere tonight here on nbc, 10:00 p.m., 9:00 p.m. central time. >> i'll go inside and get warm. we've got check of the weather from al roker out in illinois this morning. al? >> hey, guys, thanks so much. and again, this is always the case after a bad storm, a tornado, you get gorgeous weather. we have beautiful weather today. however, tomorrow, we are very worried about some severe weather, as you look around, harrisburg illinois, you can see harrisburg, illinois. and you can see the devastation in a 360-degree ark. tomorrow we are looking at a risk of storms in mississippi. rain in the pacific north west. sunny and cool along the eastern seaboard. saturday we have that -- risk of storms making their way. finally vanished. we have heavy rain along the southeastern atlantic coast.

rain continues along the pacific northwest coast. mild from texas into the southwest. and sunday we expect to see more sunshine through the southwest. and however, we are going to even warm things up more, rain along the southeastern land coast with stronger thunderstorms insouthern florida. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. fog dissipated and we have the sunshine warming us up right now. it is 58 at reagan national. culpeper, up to 63. still a chilly 43 in hagerstown. quite a wide variety of temperatures. later today, climbing into the 60s. much of the region and we will have plenty of sunshine. winds will increase this afternoon and gusting to 30 miles an hour. overnight tonight, clear and diminished winds. 30s tomorrow morning. near 60 tomorrow afternoon. light r and that's your latest weather. guys, back to you. >> all right. al, thank you so much. back in january, as you might remember, we had the chance to like the empire state building in our "today show" colors in

honor of our 60th anniversary. the famous building has 20 years on the "today show," because not long ago, it turned 80 years old and anthony malkin is one of the owners of the empire state building. anthony, good morning, it's great to have you here. how would you describe the significance of this landmark, not just to the city, but to the country? >> it's the world's most famous office building. the only place where you can have a card that says on the empire state building and everyone will know how to get there. it's the 50th anniversary that we've owned it, it's a tremendous charge and responsibility we have a lot of fun with. >> and the building has evolved over the years. i know being green is important to you folks as you continue to own and operate the building. >> absolutely. we've done ground-breaking energy efficiency retro fit work with the clinton climate initiative. a model for the rest of the world to follow, which people are following. from the rocky mountain institute. >> it's such a pop culture icon. going back to the 1933 "king

kong" film where the empire state building features so prominently. how did the film put that building on the map? >> it's in the hearts and minds of so many. it's a symbol of dreams for everyone around the world. the statue of liberty up there as an american icon. we like it for what it's been and what it is today. >> how do you celebrate by turning 80? >> by being on cutting edge. we're doing every new from a completely restored and recreated art deco lobby to brand-new high-speed elevators. it's very exciting. we're making it real and make it today. >> it's beautiful. >> anthony, thank you so much and thanks for the honor of a couple of months ago to light it up in "the today show" colors, we appreciate that. >> our pleasure. by the way, coming up next, we've got zac efron in our studio on his new movie, and his embarrassing moment at a premiere, we'll find out about that.

but first, this is "today" on nbc. [ male announcer ] this was how my day began. got my bearings. ♪ a little bird told me about a band. ♪ an old man shared some fish stories. ♪ ooh, my turn. ♪ she was in paris, but i still got to see her.

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now we're back at 8:39, zac efron is trying something a little different in his latest movie. he provides the voice of a 12-year-old boy in dr. seuss' "the lorax." who goes to great lengths to win the affection of a girl dreaming of seeing a real-life trufala tree. >> what is this about? >> it's about this. >> wait, wait, is that -- >> yes. the last trufala seed, you'll help me plant it right in the middle of town where everyone can see it. >> i could just kiss you right now! we don't have time for that. >> we have a little time. >> zac efron, welcome back. good morning, how did this happen? you finally got to be 24. you're not playing the teen

roles any more. and you now you go back and play a 12-year-old boy. how did they convince you to do this? >> i got a letter from dr. seuss' wife and she, it was amazing. she just said that she thought i was perfect for the role. and that was really all it took. we-amazing cast. i loved the animators and it just seemed like a no-brainer. >> you know, a letter from dr. seuss' wife? i mean that's pretty cool. were you a fan of the books as a kid? >> i was. my dad was a huge fan of dr. seuss growing up. he has an original copy of "the lorax" from like 1971. he read them to me growing up. they've been a big part of my life and my education. >> did you try to do anything different with the voice? everybody's got a trick when they go in that audio booth, because it's hour after hour. did you try to bring something different that's not just your normal voice? >> definitely. he's 12 years old. so i wanted all the enthusiasm and i sort of just came in and went wild every morning. i had to find my inner 12-year-old boy who is in love.

>> by the way, as much as you are a heartthrob in real life, this guy has to actually go through all the paces to win the affections of audrey. voiced by -- >> taylor swift. >> taylor swift, which isn't too bad. >> an absolute angel and her voice is incredible in the movie. >> did you guys get to work at all together or is it simply like all the other animated projects where you're in different booths at different times? >> different booths and different time. but i knew taylor and the presence she was going to bring. so i had a lot to play off. >> your name brought a lot of attention to this who ofvy and there's something that also brought a lot of attention to the movie, zac, at the premiere. do you want to take me through it? >> i don't want it take you through it. >> do you want to give me a hint as what happened? you dropped something on the red carpet? >> i did. i never had a pocket-checking policy prior to going onto the red carpet before. but now we fully instated one.

prior to going on the red carpet. >> you dropped a condom? >> yeah. >> on the red carpet. which i think -- >> it was really hard for you to say. >> no, it wasn't. i think it gives you credit. better to be safe than story, right? >> it's a great message, to add to the many messages in the film. >> exactly right. you've got your own production company, what's next for you? that's a bad pun, by the way. your own production company. what's next for you. >> oh, man. coming up next is a did a film called "the lucky one," which is going to be great, it's a nick sparks novel. it's going to be out next month. we're very excited about that, as well as "the lorax." >> it's good at 24 you can still blush a little, which is good. well, zac efron, good to have you here. we think "the lorax" is going to be great. by the way, we always have to mention that "the lorax" is from our sister studio, universal studios. we're back in a moment, right after this.

back now at 8:45 this morning on today's kitchen, what's on the menu? one-pot wonders. if you're looking to keep supper simple and flavorful. we've got celebrity chef, curtis stone here. with no-fuss meals. this is perfectly timed because you've just become a father. so you need to make these one-stop, no-fuss meals, right? >> you realize how time is for most people and you want to get dinner done. but you want it to be healthy and you want it to be delicious. >> the first thing he's going to be making is a braised beef stew with orange and anise. what a perfect day for a stew? >> i've got a hot pan. i've browned all my beef off. and i'm going to add all the onions. i'm going to do it in a hot pan, we're going to do it quick. you can stir it around, add a

tiny bit more olive oil. the idea is you kick everything in one pot. there's only one pot to clean up at the end. which makes the whole cooking experience quicker and more enjoyable. you put in some flavoring, some rosemary and some thyme, with a little garlic. give it a stir and then you would normally let this cook down for a minute or two and then add your veggies, a beautiful winter vegetables, i've got parsnips and carrots and turnips and you get this delicious, rich sweetness. >> and the anise gives it a little something. >> the star anise gives it a little flavor, with orange of course, which is a winter fruitth and you stir it together, and a couple of minutes before, you put in your beef that you've browned back into the pot. >> they're large pieces, you're going to cook this down for a long time and they're going to fall apart. >> that's right, two or three hours. you throw in your stuff and red wine. >> a good red wine? it doesn't matter what kind?

>> you don't have to have the most expensive red wine in the shop. throw the tomatoes in as well and a little bit of salt and pepper. and you let it go for a couple of hours, okay? so after a couple of hours you come back to it and you, you have a good look at it. and you see -- >> it is just beautiful. >> it smells amazing. >> you should be able to break it up with a spoon like that. >> you like to serve it on top of brown rice rather than mashed potatoes? >> just a bit healthier. you can serve it with whatever your family likes. with the brown rice it makes for a really wholesome, healthy dish. >> was that italian parsley you put on top? >> a bit of italian parsley for color and flavor. there we go we've got a delicious one-pot wonder. and i've got one more. if you bring it to the back. >> this is a sausage one-pot meal. >> right this is a one-pot wonder again. i've got some sausage which i've just been browning here. and then you want to throw in

your veggies. and some spices. so i've got a whole pile of onions there. and then a variety of garlic and thyme. >> a lot of garlic in that case. >> what are these spices? >> paprika, fennel powder, cumin powder and chili peppers. it goes enter and you brown it together. i started doing this as a vegetarian dish. i changed my mind because i love sausage so much. >> it is enticing. >> you could leave the sausage out and just do it with the veggies and the chickpeas. >> parsnips and carrots? >> yes, i love beautiful winter veggies. and we should make the most of them while they're still around. because soon it will be spring and they'll be gone. >> the garbanzo beans, you can get them out of a can? >> yes, or soak them yourself. slow cooking means affordable cooking. the beans are cheap, the sausage is cheap. >> this will feed a family of

four or five people? >> absolutely. your stock in there and you want to finish it off with a little bit of a crumb like that. you stick it in the oven. >> just like that? >> just like that. stick that in the oven. >> look what it comes out like? >> just like this. it's this delicious bake where you've got all of this lovely flavor. it's like i said, really good for you. really simple. >> that with a salad? a slice of bread -- glass of wine, and you're done. ca curtis stone, congratulations on your life and thank you for these wonderful recipes. still ahead, how to reduce your risk of four dangerous diseases that specifically affect women. but first, this is "today" on nbc. [ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable and enjoying it less and less? stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for an incredible price: just $89.99 a month

for two years with a two-year agreement. it's an amazing deal, but it's for a limited time only. so don't wait. want to save even more? call right now and we'll add a special bonus: $300 back. unlike cable, fios delivers a 100% fiber-optic network to your home. get america's fastest, most consistent, most reliable internet, plus the best tv picture quality, and more hd. why keep paying so much for cable? switch to fios for just $89.99 a month for two years with a two-year agreement. save $600 in your first two years. and don't forget your special bonus: $300 back. hurry, offer ends march 3rd. call 1.877.827.fios. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's 1.877.827.3467. at 800-974-6006 tty/v. fios. a network ahead. [ jim ] you know, that's our business. so we want to be the experts in chicken. we're not the status quo. perdue is the first and the only chicken company to have usda process verified programs for fresh, all natural chicken.

[ jim ] this is an all-vegetarian diet. no animal byproducts, no animal fat. our chickens are not fed steroids or hormones. it's not gonna happen. [ jim ] we raise our chickens cage-free, and we set our goals higher than anyone. we're trying to make a better chicken. [ jim ] my dad did, my grandfather did, and it's what we do today. we're back now at 8:52, with a program that aims to demystify autism for a very important group of people. "today" national correspondent, amy robach is here to explain. >> when it comes to an emergency, time is critical. the autism fire rescue program has educated over 15,000 first responders in how to handle people with autism. and as i found out, it is a mission that began very close to home for one fireman. [ sirens ] >> the best way to meet an emergency is to prepare. >> go ahead and charge that

line. >> firefighters, police, and emts make the anticipation of the unexpected a regular part of their day. ted is 21 years old and living with autism. he cannot speak and is extremely sensitive to sight, sound and touch. >> people with autism follow a routine. and if that routine is broken, this is where the confusion begins in a lot of them and they don't know what to do. they don't understand what to do. >> a long-time firefighter, bill is ted's devoted dad. their relationship has led the father down an unexpected path to educator. >> he's my best teacher. he shows me everything and this is what i do, is just convey that message to other first responders. >> in seminars across the country, he provides the keys to identifying a person with autism and the solutions for helping them to safety. >> they can just one be out of control. or aggressive. another situation, they can have

a regression, completely shut down. people with autism have left a burning building, but because of the confusion, went back in because that's their safety. or some people will run away. >> there are 1.5 million americans with autism. and that number is growing by the hour. so the chances of this firehouse will encounter a person with autism on their next call is growing by the day. soon after a training session with kanata, bill turner found a child with autism at the scene of a house fire. >> he was running around outside, totally out of control. so i go to grab the young boy, going by and i got him. and he started pounding me on the chest. and he was just beating me like he was going to beat me to a pulp. >> he was doing it because he was very excited to see him. probably his gear, reflective tape is very attractive. shiny things can be attractive to people with autism. >> i remember the class had taught me that if i put my arms around him and put him in a bear

hug that he will simmer down. >> bill gave him a bear hug and gave him the deep squeeze and he settled down immediately. it was perfect, a perfect scenario to keep him safe until his parents could take care of him. >> when you got home, you went to told your wife. >> probably told her i was some kind of heroo something, you have to play all your cards at home, you know. >> as these firemen prepare for the worst, their tool kit includes the best knowledge that bill can give. >> this is just something we can learn that will help them through this type of situation. it's what we want to do. we want to do the right thing. >> and bill gave us some great advice. if you have any one in your home living with autism or any circumstance that requires special attention, you can go to your local fire department and tell them. it's important for first responders to have as much information as possible, when heading into an otherwise complicated situation. but what a group of heroes on so

many levels. >> what a great story. well done. >> such an important message. thank you so much. still ahead, answers to your most pressing diet dilemmas, but first, your local news. 8:56 is your time on this thursday, march 1, 2012. i'm eun yang. let's check in with tom kierein for a look at your forecast. looks like it will be a nice day tom, tom. >> feeling like spring the first day of march. the first day of meteorological spring. already climbing as we approach mid morning, 63 at reagan

national. and it will climb into the upper 60s, near 70 later this afternoon. winds out of the north and west gusting to 30 miles an hour. lots of shine. overnight tonight should be clear and winds will diminish and it will get chilly, down to the hitters by dawn, friday. maybe rain friday night and thunderstorms on saturday. >> all right, tom. thanks so much. quick break now

good morning. if you are traveling in northwest we have an accident involving a fuel tank. this is at 6th and o street. use caution in the area. in p inner loop jammed at robinson terminal. delays con through the dulles toll road, 28 miles per hour. >> thank you. more news, weather and traffic for you in

we're back now with more of "today" on a thursday morning. it's the first day of march, 2012. a little dreary here in the new york city area. but not too bad. and not enough to keep these people away after they spent the morning with us on the plaza, i'm matt lauer. with savannah guthrie and ann curry. al is out in illinois in an area devastated by a string of storms over the last 36 hours or so. in one community, six people were killed. up to 12 killed in that region and more storms unfortunately on the way. and we're going to be checking in with al and lester holt,

standing by in harrisburg, illinois in just a couple of minutes. >> pretty devastating story. more storms on the way. it's all pretty frightening. and also coming up this morning, we'll be talking about more than 1,000 cruise ship passengers and crew were relieved to be on dry land this morning because the "costa allegra" was towed into port after it was adrest in the indian ocean without electricity and with limited food because of an electrical fire. so we're going to hear this morning coming up more about this harrowing ordeal. and health news, what you can do to cut your risk of several light-threatening illness, including breast cancer, heart disease and depression, some smart strategies for that. and joy bauer is here with your answers to those diet sos questions. >> before we get to all that, can we say hello to the former number one tennis player in the world? carolyn wozniack. she's got a big match coming up this weekend and into monday. you want to tell us about that? >> yeah.

it's madison square garden monday night. i'm playing against maria sharapova. >> have you played her before? >> yes. i'm up for that on monday. >> you have a fire under you, because you've been ranked number one for 67 weeks. that must mean a great deal after all of your work. >> yeah, definitely, i mean growing up i always dreamed of becoming the number one player in the world. and already being there for 67 weeks, and i'm only 21, you know, already the dream come true for me. >> only 21. >> so i have a lot in front of me. >> caroline, you're dating rory mcilroy from the golfing world and now you have a nickname wozilroy, is that how you say it? >> it's amazing when two

premiere athletes get together. obviously you can identify what each other go through. >> definitely, rory is a young athlete, going through some of the same things with me. we just understand each other i think better. and it's real nice to have him around. >> we want to mention once again, that you are here in new york city to play in this bn bnp paribas showdown that's taking place this weekend at madison square garden. thanks very much. all right. and now, let's go inside. >> to check the headlines with natalie morales. >> good morning once again. we begin with the devastation in the midwest and parts of the south. residents are picking up the pieces after powerful storms ripped through the area, killing 12 people. and now, a new storm system is powering up to hit tomorrow. nbc's lester holt is in hard-hit harrisburg, illinois, with more. lester, good morning. >> natalie, good morning. there were fatalities in at least three states, missouri, tennessee and illinois, the

most, six people killed in harrisburg. overnight, the weather service upgraded the intensity of the winds on the weather scale of storms. it doesn't get much worse than what happened here. for those who survived it, however, on the emotional scale, thats with off the charts. in the hours before dawn on wednesday, the largest of the twisters cut a deadly trail through this former coal mining town. rated an e-4, the second highest, the tornado brought winds reaching 180 miles per hour. the damage it left stretches for a mile along a 200-yard wide path. everything leveled, twisted, crushed or toppled. mickey pavelonis and her husband rode out the tornado huddled in their bathroom. the picket fence is about all that remains intact. >> you were in the bathroom. when it was over you walk out of the bathroom. what did you discover? >> the house was gone. >> the house was gone, no roof? >> no roof. all gone. >> how did you survive? >> well, we were all alive and i

just think that you know, god looked after us. if you see our house, the roof and all the stuff was gone everywhere but in the bedroom where we were. >> though this is tornado country, illinois governor pat quinn noted for years they've been spared. >> we haven't had any fatal tornadoes since 2004. and that's why today is a sad day. people who were here 24 hours ago, are in heaven today. >> the ferocious storm system started much farther to the west, near harveyville, kansas, a town of less than 300. storm chasers captured this tornado as it rolled through. houses collapsed, cars ripped apart. others buried under piles of debris. >> i got up to go in the kitchen. and get a cup of coffee. and all of a sudden, the windows went out just like a big shotgun went off. and i told my wife, hit the floor. she says, i'm down there already. >> firefighters spent wednesday knocking on doors, and sorting

through what's left of homes. >> opened up the door and the whole neighborhood was gone. >> the deadly tornadoes also set their sights on smithville, tennessee. in branson, missouri, the region's music hub, a twister tore down power line, crushed roofs and left wood and debris sprawled for miles. on wednesday, bulldozers worked it clear the debris from the twister that roared through the city's main tourism strip. leaving structure after structure scarred or in ruins. >> significant damage. bouncing from business to business to business. tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars of property damage. >> devastating for an area that's economic lifeblood is the 11 million annual visitors that vacation there. >> we don't have insurance for the contents or anything. so -- >> it's going to be tough. and it's going to be tough on branson. but knowing the spirit of branson, they're going to rebuild. >> back in harrisburg, illinois, that same spirit has mickey pavelonis looking forward, too. >> my husband looked at me and

he said, well, i'm going to ask you this question -- do you want to build it back? and i said, why sure. we've been here since 1972. you know -- we're not going anywhere. >> authorities in harrisburg have identified all six victims. they were adults, four men and two women. the mayor told me a short while ago, they have now accounted for everyone who lived in these homes, six is the official death toll here. natalie, back to you. >> all right, lester holt in harrisburg, illinois. the crippled cruise liner, "costa allegra," has arrived in a seychelles port this morning after three days at sea, with 1,000 people aboard and no power, toilets or showers. nbc's duncan golistani is in london with the latest. duncan, good morning. >> good morning, natalie. you know, passengers on the "allegra" had been promised a cruise liner that was shimmering and modern. instead they had to sleep on deck and wash using bottled water.

no wonder they're glad it's all over. the "costa allegra" finally arrived in the seychelles. passengers looking tired after three days stranded in the indian ocean. with no power, the luxury cruise liner hasn't been so luxurious. >> not having enough food, not being able to rest well at night. we had to, the heat is unbearable. we had to spend most of our nights on the top deck of the ship. >> you know it's humid, no lights, that was rather difficult for a lot of people. >> "allegra" love power on monday in an electrical room. it's been a nerve-wracking journey for passengers and another public relations disaster for costa's parent company, carnival. the "costa concordia" is still lying capsized off italy, after a crash which killed at least 25 people. and two carnival cruises have been hit with norovirus

outbreaks. no wonder the "allegra" passengers are relieved to be on dry land. many will now be flown straight to italy. others are staying in the seychelles, taking a vacation, trying to recover from the last one. so the italian government and inspectors from the coast guard are on their way for a second time they will investigate what went wrong on a costa cruise. natalie? >> duncan gholistani in our london news bureau. fans of the monkees' lead singer, davy jones, are leaving flowers on his star at the hollywood walk of fame. he died of a heart attack at his home in florida. he was 66. and cats who can outsmart humans? they're nothing new. but check out the kitty playing the shell game in the viral video. she's not quite perfect. but apparently let's see if she gets it. she does get it right, we're told two out of every three times. pretty good odds.

she should sign her act to new york city. now let's go to al with a check of your weather from harrisburg, illinois, al? >> the cat was banned from las vegas. all right, thanks so much. here in harrisburg, illinois, we've been seeing homes where people are going through the rubble of their homes, checking things out. and you can see the devastation really in a 360-degree arc all throughout here. it's widest point, the width of this tornado was two football fields wide. you can see why this has been registered an ef-4, 180-mile-per-hour winds. just unbelievable. and of course as lester mentioned, six people losing their lives. in this area, called gaskens city in harrisburg, illinois. let's see w losing their lives. gaskins city, let's see what's going on for today. again, what we are really worried about is tomorrow because we have got a lot of gulf moisture coming up. strong jet stream and enforced

low pressure system with getting extra energy. and that is going to generate a strong risk of storms just to the east of here. stretching all the way from as far south as jackson, mississippi, and hattiesburg. going all the way on up to indianapolis. but folks here to the west in parts of harrisburg and other points to the south, they are in a slight risk of strong storms as well. tornado risk not out of the woods. only saving grace is that if this happens it will be in the afternoon rather than the overnight hours. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning, tom kierein in storm center 4. bright sunshine and we are warming up rapidly. right now 63 at reagan national. it hit the mid 60s throughout parts of north central virginia. 50s throughout much of the rest of maryland. but all around the region we should be into the upper 60s and near 70 by mid afternoon and also some winds gusting out of the west-northwest around 30 miles an hour this afternoon with lots of sun. clear tonight and chilly

tomorrow morning. and increasing clouds friday. could get rain friday and we're looking across the way. we've show you in the next half hour. they've started son restoration work on the roofs of some of the homes around here. savannah? al, thank you. this morning on joy's diet sos, answers to your daily diet dilemmas, nutritionist joy bauer is here to discuss everything from so-called unlimited foods to snack items. >> we love unlimited foods. >> our first question is from ethan in pennsylvania, ethan, good morning, what's your question for joy? >> are there any foods that are okay to eat in large or unlimited quantity while trying to lose weight? >> you're going to be happy with this answer -- yes. the one food category that you can always eat in unlimited amounts are the nonstarchy vegetables. that's because they're loaded with both water and fiber and they're only about 30 calories per cup. when i say nonstamrchy

vegetables, carrots, cauliflower. swiss charred, green beans. you have to be careful not to add a lot of butter or oil in the preparation, because that will jack up the calories. you can dip them in salsa or mustard. in our house we like to have a mound of baked spaghetti squash mixed with tomatoes. and you can simmer things in low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth. the bottom line is you can have unlimited amounts of nonstarchy vegetables. and still lose weight. >> all right, ethan, joy is excited about those nonstarchy vegetables. >> the next question on the phone, lydia in pittsburgh. what's your question? >> i really enjoy half an half in my morning coffee. frankly, skim milk just doesn't do it for me. how can i get the same mouth

feel and taste. >> joy, what can we do? >> i love this question. i hope my sister-in-law, pam, is listening. the easiest thing that you can do is swap the full-fat half-and-half, for fat-free half-and-half or whole milk. both of those two things have half the calories. if you want to go an even healthier direction, i would try 1% or 2% milk because it's a little bit thicker than the watery skim milk and pick up a can of fat-free skim milk. it will give you the thick, nice mouth feel that you're looking for or try unsweetened almond milk. the plain, the vanilla or the chocolate. the shot of flavor might be a nice compromise and distract you from the thinner feel. >> what about the powdery cream, the coffee-mate. >> you would want to go for a fat-free. >> diana email's question, i rarely have enough fruits and vegetables, i'm lucky to get in

one serving a day. which produce items should i pick up at the grocery store that are easiest to incorporate into daily snacks and evening meals? good question. >> i put together my top ten list of no-fuss, super simple produce items that don't require a utensil. here we go. apple, clemmen tines because you can peel them. bananas, frozen berries or grapes. spinach, the large bags of baby spinach leaves, grape tomatoes, sugar snap peas, green bean, baby carrots and frozen broccoli spears. >> those are the must-have items? >> the easiest to work into meals and snacks. pop them into your cart. >> joy bauer, great information, thanks so much. coming up, grab the morning cup of coffee. we'll te you why that and other healthy habits can reduce your risk of serious illnesses. and later, look like a red carpet fashionista with some affordable oscar-inspired dresses, coming up after these messages. ng. roc® retinol. found in roc® retinol correxion

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burn! let's do it! hello, jenny! ♪ thank you. [ cellphone rings ] working on it. ♪ hi. hi. how are you? [ female announcer ] outlast your day, any day, with secret's 48-hour odor protection technology. new secret outlast. this morning on today's health, reducing your risk for four serious conditions that affect women. while family history can play a big role when it comes to your health. there's proven steps you can take to help offset your risk. dr. kerry peterson is an internist and contributor to "women's health" magazine, good to have you here again. let's start with one of the obviously conditions is depression, obviously somebody you love or if you yourself are experiencing depression, you really should seek professional help. let's start with some things

that can perhaps reduce your risk. that is first, drinking more coffee can help. how is that? what's the link? >> it's been found that women who drink two cups of coffee a day had a 15% lower likelihood of developing depression, attributed to the caffeine in the coffee. caffeine is thought to have mood-elevating properties. which you may have experienced. >> a coffee buzz. >> which helps alleviate depression. >> and another thing, watching what you eat in terms of trying new diets in the mediterranean diet, specifically is very healthy. >> yeah, this is pretty interesting. mediterranean diets are rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish. rich in omega 3s which have been found to reduce depression by about 30% in this particular diet. because it's thought to help bind serotonin, which is one of the neurotransmitters that are attributed to depression. and it's also thought to help improve blood vessel function, which may help brain function

overall overall and make you more resilient. >> and added to that, you may want to think about working out as well. what's the link between exercise and how that boosts your overall mood. >> this is a big one. exercise has a dramatic impact on the development of depression. a study out of the american journal of preventive medicine found it lowers your likelihood of developing it by 47%. this is very significant. so "women's health" recommends that you get 30 minutes five days a week to reap this benefit. >> get the endorphin boost. let's talk about heart disease and family history is probably one of the most important indicators. but a couple of things that you can do to help reduce the risk. is you say help reduce the stress and one of those things is by leaving work on time. >> that's right. it has been found that if you work 11 hours a day, your likelihood of developing heart disease in a study went up a whopping 67%. that's pretty dramatic. >> that's huge. >> and it just goes to show you that if you're working long hours, obviously your stress is higher. you have less time to exercise.

you may make more unhealthy choices in the food because you don't have as much time. so try to live, work to live, don't live to work. >> exactly. another risk reducer? being an optimist. >> smile, your outward life has an impact on your stress levels. people who see life with the glass half-full have lower incidence of heart disease than people who see it half-empty. it's kind of obvious, because your stress level is better, you're more resilient. you handle stress better and have a better quality of life. >> i want to move on to melanoma. one that you can prevent in many ways. here's something you may not have heard about. the benefits of dark chocolate and how that can help. >> if you eat your chocolate, along with your coffee. >> chocolate lovers love this, dark chocolate contains flavinoids, loaded with anti-oxidants, known to protect you from the damaging uva and uvb rays in the sunlight. which decreases sunborn and

decreases your chance of getting melanoma. >> and be sure to slather up on sunscreen. dr. kerry peterson, thanks so much. still to come, remembering davy jones of the monkees, who died of a heart attack. we'll take a look back at his life and love of music. after these messages. up weeks ago ♪ ♪ sunlight says get up and go ♪ mountain-grown aroma coming through ♪ ♪ a new challenge waits for you ♪ ♪ ♪ jumpin' into something new ♪ you really see all you can do ♪ ♪ ♪ the best part of wakin' up ♪ is folgers in your cup [ female announcer ] introducing new nature valley protein bars. 100% natural ingredients like roasted peanuts...

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and clean up. and styles from the red carpet, oscar-inspired designer duds at more down-to-earth prices after your local news. ice to fill over 200 garbage trucks out of landfills each year? ♪ 6.5 million pounds of plastic, gone. by using new glad trash bags, designed with reinforcing bands to be stronger with less plastic waste, we can. ♪ it's a small change that can make a big difference. ♪ we have to thank you for the advice on phillips' caplets. magnesium, right? you bet! phillips' caplets use magnesium. works more naturally than stimulant laxatives... for gentle relief of occasional constipation. can i get an autograph? [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. would they switch? notice a difference? it feels a bit tight.

[ female announcer ] soap leaves behind soap residue that can cause a tight draggy feeling. with 1/4 moisturizing cream, dove cleansers rinse cleaner than soap. 9:26 is your time now on this thursday, march 1, 2012. good morning to you. i'm eun yang. check in with storm 4 meteorologist tom kierein for a look at the forecast. feels like spring. >> it is. warming up now here as we approach 9:30. it is now into the 60s throughout most of virginia. and around the district. and across northern maryland still in the low to mid 50s there but it will be clouding intoing the 60s there, too, as the day progresses, upper 60s to near 70 degrees. and we will have a wind picking up, too, this afternoon, gusting to 30 miles per hour. overnight tonight clear and chilly with a light wind down to the 30s tomorrow morning. then during the day on friday, clouds, rain saturday.

>> thanks, tom. take a quick bre

good morning. if you are traveling in northwest d.c., expect delays along 6th stay, o street. accident there. out of the roadway. but you are still seeing big delays. 395 slow at the pentagon even in hov lanes you see in delays.

crossing the 14th street bridge, it is a struggle. you are at 18 miles per hour. starting at the beltway, crossing the 14th street bridge, that trip taking 35 minutes. >> still busy out there. danella, thank you.

♪ baby you light up my world like nobody else ♪ ♪ the way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed ♪ >> those are the fresh new faces teenaged girls are going wild for. they're the british band, one direction. and this is their runaway hit, "what makes you beautiful." the boys in the band will be driving new york crazy when they perform a special outside concert live on the plaza, monday march 12th, only on "today." so set your calendars, you'll want to be here for that. >> i can hear the girls screaming already. well of course another band that drove young girls wild back in the day, the monkees, it was a shock to hear that davy jones, considered the band's heartthrob, his boyish charm and good looks, died suddenly of a

heart attack on wednesday. we'll take a look back at his life, coming up. and we'll lighten things up a little bit with some oscar fashion for less, if you don't think you can afford to dress like a star, we've got some of the red-carpet-inspired dresses that will help you look like a celebrity without spending like one. wait until you see how almost identical reproductions these are. and in the kitchen, a gourmet meal without all of the work. some ascy one-skillet dishes, include something for your sweet tooth. >> and first to al, who is in tornado-ravaged al roker with the mayor, eric gregg. good morning to you both. >> joining us is the mayor, mr. mayor, we've had confirmed six deaths sadly. but you think pretty much that's it? >> we think that is it at this time. you know, we have every man, woman and child accounted for in our city. >> we can see right now, there are already doing some work, there's a restoration team working on this house across the

street. what's happening now in the city of harrisburg to get people back on their feet? >> well first and foremost we're taking care of those that have been displaced. those that have been hurt. you know the families that have unfortunately lost everything in this tornado. we're going to take care of them. we're working on our infrastructure. getting the power back on. making sure the gas, the all the utilities are where they need to be. and just putting our city back together at this time. >> i know there was a quick response, the sirens went off early in the morning. there's another strong risk of storms tomorrow. what are you thinking about that? >> well i think we just have to be very vigilant and certainly monitor that, what that looks like. and again, of course after going through this horrific event, we're going to be very gun-shy to say the least. but we're going to have watchful eyes and just monitor that storm very closely. in fact, i can assure you from this day forward, i will never

look at a weather map or a warning again and certainly want to encourage everyone to get weather radios. >> marek eric gregg of harrisburg, illinois, thank you so much and our hearts out to everybody who has been affected by this. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. we have the sunshine and temperatures are now beginning to warm up. right now 63 at reagan national. it hit the 60s throughout most of virginia. and in the 50s farther west and northwest of washington. and north. it is going to climb into the 60s there, too, later today. most locations in the upper 60s to near 70 by mid afternoon. lots of shine. we will have winds getting blustery, too, out of the west-northwest. increasing clouds tomorrow. near 60. could get light rain frida and that's your latest weather. back to both of you guys. >> thanks so much, al. you're doing a great job there. coming up, remembering a beloved member of the monkees, davy jones. right after this. (bell rings)

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these engines are built by hand with very precise assembly techniques. [ mike ] it's going to fly people around the world. safely and better than it's ever done before. it would be a real treat to hear this monster fire up. [ jaronda ] i think a lot of people, when they look at a jet engine, they see a big hunk of metal. but when i look at it, i see seth, mark, tom, and people like that who work on engines every day. [ tom ] i would love to see this thing fly. [ kareem ] it's a dream, honestly. there it is. oh, wow. that's so cool! yeah, that was awesome! [ cheering ] [ tom ] i wanna see that again. ♪

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♪ now to the sudden death of davy jones, who suffered a heart attack in florida on wednesday at the age of 66. >> he walked into fame in the 1960s on the hit tv show, "the monkees." with his boyish good looks and british accent, davy jones was the group's heartthrob. they were the monkees, but he was davy jones. their lead singer and teenaged heartthrob. their songs, the soundtrack of a generation ♪ cheer up, sleepy jean >> from "daydream believers". ♪ what can it mean ♪ to a daydream believer >> to "last train to clarksville" to "i'm a believer." ♪ i'm a believer >> in 1967, the monkees sold more albums than the beatles and rolling stones combined. >> the monkees were absolutely

the most popular band in the land. just a year after their show premiered in terms of the record sales, the concert tickets and the tv show. i'm sure that collectively, that was beating every other band. >> born and raised in england, jones was a race horse jockey who turned to acting. he starred in the play "oliver." >> are you sure it's all right to come here without an invitation. >> in 1966, he was cast in the mon "the monkees" which debuted on nbc. which followed the members of a fictitious band. though the quirky quartet wasn't taken seriously at first, they insisted they be allowed to tour as a real band. mickey dolenz, michael nesmith with the hat, peter tork and davy in the lead. the tv show lasted just two seasons. jones left the band in 1970, and the monkees broke up in 1971. jones tried a solo career, and made a series of appearances on

tv. once playing himself on "the brady bunch." >> i never should have promised i would get you to sing at the prom. >> well, i don't have a date. do you know a girl who would like to go with me? >> do i! >> ladies and gentlemen, a big hand from "the today show," mr. al roker! [ cheers and applause ] >> the monkees reunited for brief tours. last year they jammed with al. davy joking about how the crowd had aged along with him. >> you get things tossed at you now a little differently than before. >> well, you know, i mean that's a joke in a sense that they used to throw, their little briefs and things like that. and now now they're throwing depends. that's a joke. >> still, everyone remembered those good looks and charm. davy jones, the heartthrob of a generation. >> when you look at people who were television heartthrobs, who also happened to sing, davy jones is always going to be top ten. >> we should mention jones is survived by his wife, jessica and four daughters, we're

thinking of them today. >> absolutely. we want to go back out to al. we knew you had got to spend some time with him and the other band members. we know you loved the monkees, a hard moment, i'm sure. >> well, you know look, everybody my age, you know you grew up watching "the monkees" they were part of your childhood. to get not just only to interview them but to perform with them, was a real quick. davy jones was a driving force of that band, especially today. he was the one planning all the bits. all the shtick we were doing. he really had a joy of life. and they really were at a point, all three of them, were they were really, you could see the friendship that they had. that it went back for years and years. and it's just a tremendous loss. they really -- you could see the affection the fans had for them. every concert, every date they played, they sold out, it was amazing. >> and you talk about the stamina, al. i mean doing the reunion shows, he was on stage for hours at a

time. so -- really a shock. >> they would plan, they would plan an hour and a half, they played for two and a half hours. >> all right. well our thoughts again are with davy's family. we're back with more of "today" right after this. [ male announcer ] imagine facing the day with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaids, aspirin,

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this morning on today's style, oscar looks for less. the hot bt stars in hoimd glamed it up for the red carpet this past sunday. now you can get the look with some celebrity-inspired gowns. "today" contributor and "us weekly" contributor, jill martin is here with more. >> everyone is joking about the angelina jolie pose, trying to pull off the one leg. it's time to get back to the dresses. >> i was amazed at this. how did they pull this off so fast? they watch the red carpet and suddenly -- see -- >> i have to say her legs -- >> another wants to see ours. how do they pull off these looks so quickly? >> it is amazing to me. because while we're watching the show and we're saying, i like that one, i don't like that one. there's someone there at faviana, this company, lit wi a pad anliterally with a pen and

pencil sketching the looks. >> everyone loved penelope cruz in lavender. >> she's in armani prive. you can see here, she looks absolutely stunning. but there is a way to get the look for less. and this is by faviana, a silk chiffon. the one here could actually, we'll move to ours now, this one can actually be worn to the prom. it will be out in eight weeks. so you can actually get in on this for prom or for a black-tie affair. and starting at $298. >> hers was priceless, and this is the way to get in on it for you or your daughter. >> they captured the style there. >> exactly. you see even all the detail. >> absolutely. that's so pretty. the next one "the artist" actress, missy pooi yy pyle on. >> the valentino seafoam number.

made with recycled polyester lining with repurposed zipper. that was an amazing dress. christian loubouton shoes and dripping in diamonds. look how similar this one is. >> it really does look almost identical in shape and sheer bottom. >> and the turquoise color is so huge for spring. you can check faviana.com to see where it is. in six to eight weeks. this is silk-satin. and the shoes are nina shoes, she was wearing christian louboutin, these are under $100. >> give us the angelina, stick that leg out there. >> i think everyone should do the angelina. >> thank you so much. our next look is one of our favorites from the red carpet, rose byrne. i thought she looked so cool. >> from "bridesmaids." i love how the whole cast arrived together. this is black sequin on the red carpet by vivienne westwood.

custom made, jimmy choo shoes and with daringly low back. and you see this one, i mean look how gorgeous she looks. beautiful. >> double-knit stretch sequins. this literally came almost folded in a bag. it doesn't wrinkle. and show the back on this. because i would like to go wherever she's going. how gorgeous, this also has sort of the angelina -- >> the slit there you go. >> and if you want to make statement jewelry. roberta chiarella statement jewelry. >> is it a navy or a black? >> no, this one is almost a navy. i love navy, i think it's the new black. >> thank you so much. our last one, cameron diaz, she had the nude-colored gucci gown. beautiful. >> she can look gorgeous in a garbage bag. again, priceless, because it was custom made. tiffany jewels, $560,000

necklace. and here's ours, which is a crepe blend. you see the detail even on the bottom. with the sequin detail. and this again, great for a black-tie formal affair or even for prom. >> beautiful. let's have everybody come out one more time and look at the fashions. if they want to get them, how can they find them? >> faviana.com it will tell you where you can get it in your city. >> six to eight weeks. >> thanks, ladies, you look great. and actually, if you want more oscar-inspired looks, you can check out this edition of "us weekly" magazine. coming up next, easy, one-skillet meals to save you time in the kitchen.

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this morning in today's kitchen, we're going back to

basics with easy, one-skillet dishes, kathy nixon is the host on the cooking channel. good morning to you. we are here to talk about essentials on the show. what essentials are we using today? >> all about the separations, whether it's tips, techniques, tools or recipes, cast-iron skillet, one of my favorite tools, i strongly believe every home cook should have one. >> it gives you a good workout, too. >> and it's great for sweet and savory dishes, i've got a great one-pot meal. perfect for family dinner. everything in one skillet, lots of flavor. i've seared off some chicken thighs, the day i transitioned from boneless, skinless chicken breasts to thighs, was a good day. so much more flavor, more affordable. and everyone has to give them a try. all of this delicious chicken in here. add some onions, garlic. a little salt and pepper to season this up.

maybe a little more. more seasoning the better. >> i like the energy. now we're going to add some vegetables, we've got some new potatoes, this beautiful heirloom carrots, you can just use baby carrots you have on hand as well. talk about a beautiful, really gorgeous dish. here's another secret that i love. croutons. now i toasted these for about ten minutes to dry them out. you want to add those? >> sure thing. >> you can use day-old bread? >> yes. so work some of that in there. >> they're an essential. all of that chicken fat is going to be soaked up by those croutons. you get crispy bits and savory bits as well. >> you haven't added any other liquid to this, right? >> i'm going to add some lemon as well. i'm going to add sliced lemon which everyone has got on hand. you'll get the lemon juice as it cooks, we're placing this in the oven, a little bit of thyme is going to go in here and to finish this off, the chicken goes back on top.

into the oven for 15 minutes, you've got a beautiful dinner for your family. >> 15 minutes, you're done. >> this is go straight to the table for dinner for kids, your husband -- whoever, it's a big crowd-pleaser. comfort food and it looks beautiful. >> we've got it here and it looks great. >> you can also make dessert in the cast iron, right? >> that's one of the things i love about it. it can be a fantastic baking dish as well. >> and it looks great when you serve it like that, right? >> i've got a delicious cobbler. i'm using blueberries and peaches. you can use whatever fruit is in season and these are just simple sugared buttermilk biscuits. >> yum. >> kelsey nixon, thank you. >> coming up, instant ambush makeovers, we'll reveal the results after your local news and weather. have a great day, everybody. call her.

ok. [ cellphone rings ] hey. you haven't left yet. no. i'm boarding now... what's up? um...would you mind doing it again? last time. [ engine turns over ] oooohhhh...sweet. [ male announcer ] the chevy cruze with the mychevrolet app. the remote control car is finally here. well now she's just, playing with us. oh. [ horn honks ]

good morning, everyone. 9:57 is the time. thursday, march 1, 2012. let's go to tom kierein for a look at the forecast. >> good morning. birds are chirping. sunshine. spring is in the air. temperatures warming up. as we approach 10:00, 66 at reagan national. fredericksburg, 67. low 70s the next couple of hours. right around the beltway we are

around 6 on degrees north and west of washington. even there, climb into the mid and upper 60s later today. we will have winds picking up, too. maybe rain friday night into saturday. danella, how is traffic? >> right now if you are traveling on 395, still seeing delays right at the hov lanes. you are still just under speed at about 29 miles per hour. crossing over the 14th street bridge. american legion bridge, no issues here. in fact, on the outer loop as well as the inner loop, you are clear as you make your way across. barbara, back over to you. >> all right, danella. coming up on "news4 midday," we will tell you how to stay fit at every age. every age. we have a

captions paid for by nbc-universal television well, it is thirst day thursday, march 1st, and i was in a really good mood along with hoda until i all of a sudden started listening to davy jones singing with the monkees. it makes me sad. it was a big, big cultural pop phenomenon going on in our lives at that time. you were too young -- do you remember them well, hoda? >> you know what's funny, he died at 66, and you've heard this news, and it was very

surprising because he was supposedly in terrific health. they said he had just been to the doctor pretty fairly recently -- >> clean bill of health. >> -- and told he was fine. it was unexpected. it's funny about davy jones, because he came from, i guess, you know, a ygeneration before me, but my generation, i'm 48, but we saw him a lot on the brady bunch, kind of a weird thing, but -- >> that was something he -- >> and then the movie was later. >> but he came on "the brady bunch" and marcia wanted him to sing at the prom, one of the dances. >> you know what she wanted. she was a tramp. >> she was after him. it seemed that way. but, you know, it's funny. they say the show was only on for a couple years. >> three years. i think it was three. >> two years? >> wasn't very long, but what an impact they had. 5'3", diminutive as they say, but a charming guy. only met him a couple times.

just professionally. lovely, lovely guy. and i guess he leaves his wife and four children. >> four children. people -- probably either david cassidy or davy jones on their wall. >> that's true. >> can we just show a sound bite with marcia? only because it will take us back to ""the brady bunch."" let's watch. >> i never should have. >> well, i don't have a date. do you know a girl that would like to go with me? >> do i! >> such a tramp. that's terrible. never trusted her. the girls that looked like and talked like that. do i? oh, yeah. >> all right. >> i know because i was that girl. >> all right. so, lindsay lohan did part of her interview with matt lauer. we saw bits of it, and we're beginning to see more of it. it's interesting. it's sort of revealing.

it sounds like she really wants in her heart to get on the right path, doesn't it? >> yeah, but it's not until you see a television show like "extra" or other -- they sort of take us back in time down memory lane and you see at different points of her life along the way basically saying the same thing just with a different look. i'm hoping this time it's going to be the time that changes everything for her. that's what we're all hoping and praying for. she did use a word today i was grateful to here because she was talking around a lot of things and not really answering the questions. she used the word "accountable" today which is different than what we've heard in the past. >> here's a tiny bit of the interview. >> i was looking to see when the last time we sat down was. 2006. you were 19 years old. you were here to promote a couple movies. when you think back to that time, lindsay, what goes through your mind? >> i was nonstop working back then. i was having -- it was really

fun, but it was a whirl wind. i've been very quiet since then, haven't i. >> haven't heard a thing about you. people are talking who are hearing now that, for example, you're going to be hosting "saturday night live" this week. i see you smile. >> yeah. >> this is some kind of a comeback, a comeback at 25. how do you view it? >> well, i'd rather do it now and not have to deal with it later. >> do you view it that way, though? >> yeah. i mean, it would be -- it's not that i don't -- i regret the choices that i've made, but i'm grateful for where i am today because of them because i've seen -- i don't need to see any more negative stuff. i don't need to put myself in those places anymore. >> you know, her look is so different. >> yeah. >> but if you listen to her without looking at her and just hear the sound of her voice, it's a far older woman. >> yeah. >> and, yeah. takes a real toll on your body. we wish her all the best. i hope she does great this

weekend. i hope they get the highest ratings they've ever had. i hope she gets down on her knees and thanks god and goes on to a great career. you may not want that, but i do. >> yesterday we told you about a guy from britain named andrew who was looking for love. he wasn't great at meeting chicks so he put out a video of him changing outfits multiple times. and he asked women to meet him on the street somewhere. we wondered who's going to meet andrew. 150 women did. they were in line outside to meet andrew on the street. >> disturbing on so many levels. >> he got 10 to 15 dates out of this deal. 10 to 15. out of 150. look at him. >> and one woman agreed to go to paris with him for a weekend. >> andrew is joining us by skype. >> andrew. >> is that you? >> how are you? >> we're good. how are you today? >> i'm very good. you're looking really hot today.

>> that's how he gets the dates. >> you're right, you don't know how to talk to chicks. hey, andrew, were you surprised how many chicks showed up? >> i was really, really, really surprised. it started off quite quietly. but around lunchtime there was a queue around the block. but it was just really nice. people were so kind and coming up to me, oh, i saw you on youtube, i saw you on youtube. it was really nice. and the shock on the girls' faces when they kind of asked me out, and i revealed to them, because they didn't know anything about the paris trip, and i kind of said, yeah, brilliant. well, the idea is you're coming with me to paris. so i kind of let the girl that kind of won last night, i e-mailed her and she was -- >> won. >> won? what is this, "the voice"? "american idol"? >> she won my heart yesterday. >> oh. >> what was it about her that separated her from the others?

>> i think we just -- we only spoke for about four or five minutes and we just connected. she's kind of into all the things i'm into. she works in fashion and editorial and design and stuff, which is what i do. and she looked beautiful as well. so it all kind of came together. >> let us know, andrew, how your paris trip goes. we're excited that you found a chick. >> andrew, think about it. we talk act thinking things through. ask yourself what kind of girl would say yes to going to paris with a guy she just met. just ask yourself that, and then have a great time. thank you for coming to see us. >> we lost him, but -- >> yes. thank you for saying we look hot. we don't hear that a lot. thank you. >> alreal right, gang. no one is getting any sleep. >> best night's sleep last night. >> you did? >> the longest time. >> i took some melatonin.

>> people love that. >> it was in my medicine cabinet but i -- it's probably totally passed, you know, the expiration date. >> i have a question. >> and it worked for me, baby. >> i have a question about the expiration date thing. how real is that? is that because they want you to buy more? >> yes. >> does it really -- i have pills in my medicine cabinet from god knows when. >> that surprises me, hoda. and you know what's interesting, she's moved in the last couple years. she brought the old ones from her old apartment and put them in her new medicine cabinet. >> my mom cleaned out my cupboards when i moved. oh, look at this, 2003. spices and things. because who uses them very often anyway? sit there and pile up. anyway, the people who aren't getting any sleep, here are your professions, the most sleep-deprived people. economists, four, doctors and paramedics, three, police officers, two -- [ snoring ] >> and the number one most

sleep. deprived profession is -- [ snoring ] >> my god. those are our guys on our crew. they get a lot of -- >> there he is. >> all right. you want to know by low case where the least rested people are? the most sleep deprived across the country. arkansas, alabama, oklahoma, three, west virginia, two, and mississippi, the most sleep. deprived states. >> is that because it's more hotter and humid? >> i don't know. >> there is -- there's a lot of poverty, as well. so you wonder if that's part of the problem. >> i don't know. i think it's hot down there and there are mosquitoes. you know, you can't sleep sometimes. it gets steamy down there. >> you like it hot. yes, you do. >> here's a song you're going to like. >> don't count on it. >> this is a song about -- picture this, before we get to it, some guy has broken up with you and you say i want to be there when someone does to you

what you did to me. that's this song. it's called "a lesson in leaving." country. let's go. ♪ ♪ >> all right. >> hold on. you have to hear it. >> i've heard it. ♪ >> don't you love it when an

egyptian sings a country song? >> jerry! >> we love it. that is a great song. a very good song, hoda. once in a while you just surprise me, baby. >> okay or not okay. is it okay to forbid your kids from getting tattoos when you have one? kathie lee says it just makes sense to discourage your child from doing something you personally regret. they don't need another friend. they need a parent. >> where do i come up with this? hoda says yes, it is okay. don't forget the old saying, do as i say, not as i do. >> exactly. >> i guess we agree, but i'm more poetic. >> okay. sara, clear up the confusion on the what the what picture. >> i love that song, hoda. yesterday on our "what the what," we showed a photo of mcdonald's drive-through parking -- corrected us, hoda and kathie lee and myself, for using that photo.

when you're waiting for a long order, they put you there. but please remember, i don't go to the burger places very often. >> you ear from iowa. >> that was a gourmet restaurant where i lived. >> all right, sara. up next, the results of our ambush makeovers. >> plus, our famed chef is here. sunday brunch. i had enough of feeling embarrassed about my skin. [ designer ] enough of just covering up my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. i decided enough is enough. ♪ [ spa lady ] i started enbrel. it's clinically proven to provide clearer skin. [ rv guy ] enbrel may not work for everyone -- and may not clear you completely, but for many, it gets skin clearer fast, within 2 months, and keeps it clearer up to 9 months. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections,

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it's time for today's plaza ambush makeovers where we pluck two lucky ladies out from a rainy day and give them a brand-new look. let's stop that. move on. "today" contributor and stylist to the stars, louis licari, la, la, la, la. and author of "us weekly" contributor and other things, jill martin is here. >> hi, guys. >> how was it in the rain? this. >> a little damp and drizzly, perfect day for the makeover. when it's drizzly, everyone is not quite at their best. >> kerry lynn from iowa. she has not had any time for herself since her second child was born almost two years ago so, she jumped at the chance to get pampered for a few hours. listen to her story. >> it's 7:02 in the morning and you're crying already.

why is this so important to you for your sister? >> she's a stay-at-home mom and doesn't have time for herself. she loves her kids and her husband, and she spends all her time on them. >> look, she's crying. i love that you wear your kids around your neck. so adorable. we are going to make you look fabulous and pamper you for three hours. are you ready? >> i'm ready.ready. can't wait. >> she's ready. she is here with her sister, cassie, and her friend, rhonda. keep your blindfolds on until i ask you to take them off. here is kerry before. let's see the new kerry. >> whoa. >> oh, yeah. >> whoo-hoo! looking good. ready? take off your blindfolds. >> oh, my gosh! >> all right. are you ready? >> yes. >> turn right around. >> wow. >> that is sensational. just sensational. >> i love that haircut. >> camera 12. >> louis, tell us about the hair. >> the hair is perfect.

we had arsen today and he did a great job. kerry's a stay-at-home mom. she wanted to keep it simple. so he gave her an absolutely wash and wear to give her a little more oomph. i pushed the red, which i felt was her natural color, years ago, right? >> probably, yeah. >> who can remember. >> hair color fades over time. >> darling. >> what do you guys think? >> she's beautiful. always beautiful but holy cow. >> i love the dress, too. >> thank you. >> you know what, she's a stay-at-home mom so i wanted to give her a vavavavoom dress to go out in. this can transfer from day to night depending on what your day is like. elongates the legs. >> congratulations. >> thank you. >> our second lady is heather mcmurray, 42 from annapolis park, virginia. she recently lost 15 pounds. good for her. so she was thrilled to have the opportunity to get a brand-new look to jump-start this new chapter in her life. let's hear her story.

>> okay. this is how we found you in the plaza. it is raining, but let me see what you really look like. >> all right. it's hard to look fabulous in this weather, but you're single and you want to look hot. >> right. >> what do you hope to look like? >> i just hope to look like a better me. >> you're going to look stunning. we are going to pamper you for three hours. are you ready? >> i'm ready. it will be great. >> she's here with our friend, erin. erin, keep that on until we tell you. one last look at heather. let's bring the new heather mcmurray out. all right! all right. erin, take a look at her. >> oh, my god! wow. >> love that hair. turn around and look at it, please. >> whoa! >> look at that. >> i know. >> doesn't look like a bowl or frumpy anymore. >> just gorgeous.

>> tear yourself away from yourself for a moment. there you go. what did you do? >> again, heather had a major hair problem. two haircuts, short in front and long in back. >> right. >> we blended it together with wonderful layers. it's sexy, hot,'s si to care for. her hair was a bit dark. i softened it and defined the features with natural-looking makeup. >> so sexy. jill, that outfit looks like it could go places. >> you know what, she lost 15 pounds. she needs basics. white house market jeans, two sizes down from what she thought she was. a great allen tracy blouse. >> isn't that the greatest feeling in the world, finding out you're two sizes smaller? >> exactly. i don't have to pull them up. >> she's amazing. she always cares for everyone and i think it's great she gets to do something for herself. >> let's bring kerry out and a p big round of applause. >> thank you, louis, so much.

up next, sara gets webtastic. everywhere you go, america, i see your cup of joe goes with you. how nice of joe to, how you say, have your back. try something different. a delicious gevalia kaffe, or as i like to say, a cup of johan. will johan power walk the mall with you? i don't think so. but he will spend time rubbing your feet, discussing your feelings. ♪ joe may have your back, but johan has your feet. gevalia. meet me in the coffee aisle. joe may have your back, but johan has your feet. love the taste., love the simple ingredients. love the price. new dannon pure yogurt. please your family. please your budget.

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we are back with our special series we call "webtastic" when sara finds the next video that will have everybody sniffing scents. >> and a video that gets to the point, so to speak. >> that's right. whether you're a mom working in an office or just very organized, chances are you use push pins to post invitations, business cards, maybe child's artwork. who knew an office staple could create a work of art? check it out. ♪

>> that's amazing. >> 140 hours, 15,000 push pins. this is a youtube musician that -- >> the music, i'm sure. that is simply -- >> did he have a sketch or something to -- >> he used a picture like online but he did that all -- >> who is the person? >> oh. the artist? >> yes. >> her name is d.x. dutch. she's a musician. >> that was her self-portrait? >> her. but she has nothing to do with him. he found her online and used her likeness. >> thoroughly confused but utterly impressed. >> a baguette stealing dog runs into a logistical problem. that's pepper. pepper has stolen before. pepper actually has taken a cheeseburger, a part of a frappuccino, cheez-it.

>> no one notices? >> oh, they notice. i think they want to watch pepper figure this out on her own. she thinks going the other direction might help. >> i'll pull it in this way. [ laughter ] >> love it. love it. oh, yeah. there you go, pepper. >> all right. so cute. >> those are good. those really work. those were excellent. >> she loves me. i swear she does. >> "everyone has a story" coming up. with new blast flipstick from covergirl. it's the lipstick with a flip side. you call this a flip side? creamy color on one end, shimmery color on the other. expertly matched so you can flip your look. from demure, to daring. you be demure! day to night, naughty to nice. get gorgeous lips not once, but twice! now your lips can lead a double life. new blast flipstick from easy, breezy, beautiful covergirl.

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we're back on this thirst day thursday "cooking with curtis." a guy who looks familiar to us, but it has been a long time. >> celebrity chef curtis stone. we used to hang out regularly. then in november he and his other half, lindsey price, had a baby boy. >> then he signed on with bravo "around the world in 80 plates." >> things got busy. how is the baby? >> can we show a picture? so beautiful. >> so beautiful. >> hudson, right? >> yep. >> i guess not. >> he is the cuest baby. we just saw him on your blackberry. adorable. >> he's just that thing that you condition believe. >> does he sleep through the night like french babies? >> not sleeping through the

night at all, but, you know, he's pretty cheery, a pretty relaxed little guy. >> what are you making here, curtis? >> i'm going to make a brunch. the first thing i want to do is poach some eggs. >> what did you put in here? >> white wine vinegar. a couple secrets you need to know about poaching eggs. the vinegar, you're making the water acidic so the acid in that water is going to coagulate the protein of the egg whites. >> learn that word in l.a.? you didn't talk like that before you left us. >> coagulate. >> you pour a little bit of vip gar in and the poach egg will hold together. the other trick is stick it in a bowl first and then just gently ease it in. otherwise if you drop it from high, it's too much. >> how long do they boil up? >> like three minutes. i thought what i'd do is get you slightly drunk because we've got -- >> just slightly. >> the end of winter, so we've

got some beautiful tangerine right at the end of their season. they're brilliant right now. >> what is this? >> a tangerine sunrise. like a tequila sunrise. >> delicious. is this what you make for lindsey? >> oh, look at that. >> there we go. i do make it for her. >> do you do the cooking in the house? >> noes most of it. she's a good cook. >> what does she make? >> she made me a coq au vin. >> very nice. >> what we're going to do is make sauteed wild mushrooms. again, this is coming to the end of their season so we should use them while we can. a beautiful variety. if you can't get them, you can just go ahead and use the button mushrooms, some blues you have. >> a plethora. >> trumpet of the dead translated from the french, trumpet du mort. you throw them in, stir them around. because mushrooms have such a

high water content -- >> they come down enough. >> they come right down. nice high temperature, give them a top. seeing we're in new york, i thought we'd serve it all on a bagel. >> sure. >> i've grilled some bagels. what we'll do is take that. once these mushrooms cook down, they're going to look -- >> like this. >> like this. >> beautiful. >> season them just before you take them out. >> what are you seasoning them with? >> a little bit of salt and pepper, nothing too exciting. >> incoming. >> does she want it? >> plop it right over here. >> i've got this. >> good one. >> see? look at that. i've got an old-style piece of bread and you can take it from the water, rest it on that -- >> that's a good idea. let me do that. that sounds like fun. >> otherwise soggy toast. >> that's good. then you bring it over. >> you learn that in l.a.? >> learned that in l.a. >> talk about your new bravo show. >> it's called "around the world in 80 plates" and it's by the

producers of "top chef." we get 12 chefs, take them on this crazy journey across the world, they do a culinary race in the fist part, then they take over restaurants and cook. >> great idea. >> it's a lot of fun. >> are you traveling with or how does that work? >> traveling with and i have a co-host, who's amazing, incredible chef and great to work with. we go on this ridiculous trip, experience all this amazing -- >> like "the amazing race" with great food. >> yeah. great idea. >> are you doing granola commercials? >> whole wheat. >> yeah. yeah, yeah. >> we keep seeing you everywhere. >> so fun. no residual checks at all for making you the star that you became. okay. anyway. >> we're fine with it. >> thank you. >> congratulations on the baby. >> love to the baby and lindsey, too. >> up next, "everyone has a story." this one is going to inspire you. i right after this. >> what do you mean this one? [ female announcer ] to get a professional cleaning system

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♪ everyone has a moment >> it is time to meet our newest "everyone has a story" contest winner. her name is christine ralph. >> but before we meet christine, let's listen to her story about her struggle with cerebral palsy. >> my daughter christine was born with seeshl palsy. she was always a happy child, but things changed in high school. high school was difficult for christine. she was ridiculed and isolated by her classmates. but at just 15 years old, christine decided to take her bad experience and turn it into a mission to help people by creating kids for kids, a disability awareness educational workshop that teaches what makes us different makes us beautiful. in 2002, christine graduated from st. joseph's university with a b.a. in elementary education. she was not sure what she would do after graduation. she went to a summer performing arts program for people with

disabilities in maine. when we went to see christine's performance, i noticed a huge change. she was more confident and independent than i had ever seen before. christine's brothers are in the children's summer camp industry and knew that a similar program was needed in the philadelphia area. christine knew exactly what she wanted to do. in 2004, christine created acting without boundaries, a unique year-round theater program that provides an open forum for the creative and artistic expression for children, teenagers, and young adults with physical disabilities. despite their physical challenges, they all focused on their ability rather than their disability. christine loves the saying, "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade." the programs she's created have helped people and helped her know her mission in life. >> this is such a wonderful story. christine is here with her mom,

choppy, and her brother, michael. so happy you're here. >> hi, guys. >> apparently we met many, many years ago before you had done all this great work. tell me about those years as a mom when your beautiful daughter is in high school and people can be so cruel. what was that like for you when christine was going through all that? >> it was difficult in high school. but like i said she made lemonade out of lemons. >> michael, you encouraged her as well. how important was all that to her or more importantly to you as you were growing pup. >> christine's such a, you know, hero and a role model to so many people. i think for us, my brother and i, you know, being older, we saw what she could do and she just basically took the negative and turned it into a positive by wanting to change people's behavior. and unfortunately some people treated her poorly. she just wanted to go out, rather than sit and feel bad, she wanted to teach people what

makes us different makes us beautiful. >> fun watching your video to it. when you see your sister in front of all those kids, you're so proud. you can tell. >> you've got a big smile. >> she must have taught you a lot about life. what did she teach you? >> oh, geez, to be truly relevant, to give it your all, to be a great role model, to really walk your talk. >> yeah. >> yeah. >> christine, most people never find their purpose in life. they spend a whole lifetime looking for it. how do you feel knowing that you're helping so many other people with your life? >> well, it's an awesome feeling because as you see it growing, it fills your heart and makes you feel good. i have a wonderful family. >> and now you're the boss. you are the big boss.

>> and you create a purpose. >> yes. >> god has a plan, and i believe god has a plan for everyone disability or not. >> i think you're right. >> and you're proof of that. >> when you saw how clear your daughter's plan was in her head, were you surprised? most people her age, regardless of disables or not, don't really know, but she knew right away. >> no, i wasn't surprised. she always had a focus and she always had a purpose, and with the help of her brothers she was able to put it into motion. >> i can't wait to hear the song. >> going to get serenaded by broadway's own john cartaglia. everyone fell in love with him many years ago. she's doing all kinds of wonderful things. today he's here to sing your special song, christine. okay? it's called "difference is beautiful." you teach us that every day. >> thank you. >> we'll be right back right

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♪ everyone has a moment that changes ♪ >> we're back with "everyone has a story" honoring christine ralph here with her mom, choppy, and her brother, michael. >> time for you to hear the song david freedman and i wrote just for you. here to sing it is theal ended broadway performer john tartaglia. the song is called "different is beautiful." ♪ who's to say why somebody is born this way who's to say why each of us ♪ ♪ is here well i am here to say i've learned the long, hard way the reason i'm here is very clear ♪ ♪ i'm here to tell the world

that they are beautiful i'm here to tell each person ♪ ♪ they're unique if you breathe and if you live you've got something you can give ♪ ♪ and special words that only you can speak i'm here to tell the cynical ♪ ♪ it's over now no longer will the rest of us agree ♪ ♪ to fading out of view doing less than we can do it's up to you to let ♪ ♪ the whole world see that different is beautiful different is what ♪ ♪ makes you who you are so be different, be yourself take your dreams down ♪ ♪ off the shelf let your dreams make a difference and you'll go far ♪ ♪ i'm here to let you know that you're a perfect you there's something special ♪ ♪ you were meant to be you are not an accident so feel no ♪ ♪ embarrassment if you walk or talk or do things differently ♪ ♪ i'm here to show the world

there are no limits now and if you try ♪ ♪ there's nothing you can't do because it only takes desire and a heart that is on fire ♪ ♪ to make your wildst dreams come true because different ♪ ♪ is beautiful different is how each of us is made ♪ ♪ is there's no normal there's no right you've just got to shine ♪ ♪ your light and if life gives you lemons make lemonade ♪ ♪ the same sun rises on each of us the same moon comes up ♪ ♪ at night so decide on something true because there's only one of you ♪ ♪ god makes no mistakes to for heaven's sakes we've got to learn ♪ ♪ that difference is beautiful and though we seem as different as can be ♪ ♪ every person has a heart every person plays a part we can all learn to forgive ♪ ♪ we can all live and

let live everybody has a name ♪ ♪ everybody's in the game and the fact that we are different ♪ ♪ we're all the same you're different i'm different ♪ ♪ we're different and different is beautiful ♪ >> whooo! yeah, john! >> nice job. >> awesome, buddy. we'll be back.

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we are back with "everyone has a story" honoring a special woman. >> john has just performed "different is beautiful" for us. you did an awesome job. >> it was an honor. >> honoring christine ralph. also with composer david freedman and our accompanist

david wild. what did you guys think? >> the song is something that i feel. different makes us beautiful. and we're all different but we're all special. >> that is right. >> well, well said. >> beautiful. >> what did you think, choppy, good enough for your girl? >> i thought it was absolutely wonderful. >> loved it. >> there are two organizations we talked about, kids are kids and acting without boundaries. go on our website if you want to get involved and would like to support them. they're nonprofits, as well. right? we know you need a little something for them. >> we're going to give you guys a thousand bucks for each one of those charities just to kind of get you going. a lot of people go on our website, too. here are our checks. here are the checks. >> we give big checks. >> oh, yes. we hope that will help.

>> absolutely. >> thank you. >> you bet. you're heading back to be the boss with all your kids. good for you. >> thank you. >> david freedman, what's up with you? >> on a west coast book tour, sacramento, los angeles, and portland toward the end of the month. running around with a book. >> okay. john? >> my show "imagination" is on national tour and i'm going to be directing a show and performing at carnegie hall in april. >> and dave? >> season's heating up in california. >> good to see you. what is it? >> neutrogena. >> we love you. thank you. have an awesome day, everybody.